A mysterious side of you
by Mardre Ebridge
Summary: Elena is told to do an interview with Damon Salvatore for the Mystic Falls 200 year anniversary party, as his family is one of the founding fathers. The man has been a mystery in town for the past 18 years and Elena is intrigued to learn more about him. Of course, Damon isn't one to give up his secrets so easily, while Elena finds herself falling for this strange, intense man...
1. Chapter 1

When it came to the Salvatores, everyone in Mystic Falls had heard about them; their ancestors had been the founding fathers of the small town and Damon and Stefan basically owned almost every building that you could find on the main square. Stefan had moved away to the west some time ago, but Damon remained in their pristine boarding house on the edge of town. Everyone talked about him, but no one really knew what was up with him. Damon Salvatore had been a recluse for years now.

The whole story about why the elder Salvatore remained such an elusive individual intrigued Elena. He hadn't been like that at all in his early twenties; he had often been seen partying at the Mystic Grill, womanizing and what not. He knew everybody and everybody knew him. Then, he had gotten married to a woman named Katherine, whom he quickly lost again. Elena didn't know the details, but apparently she had passed away in a fire that had started at her work office. After that, the only thing that Mystic Falls really knew about Damon Salvatore, was that he had taken over Salvatore Inc. and that he spent most of his days either in his office or at home. That was about it; no woman in his life… no family, besides the younger brother that had moved away. Elena felt for him.

Of course, when word came out that the Mystic Falls Gazette wanted to do a piece about the Salvatores, she had been eager to step forward. Her boss had been okay with it; she just needed Damon on board. That was the hard part; Damon 'didn't do interviews', he had blatantly answered her in an e-mail. She had bombarded him with her pleas, via phone, via e-mail… via regular mail… she had actually written him a good sized letter! When the response came that he would begrudgingly answer a few questions if that would get her off of his back, she had wanted to jump for joy.

Now, here she was, standing in front of a massive-looking house with the most beautiful authentic details she had ever seen and she suddenly wasn't so sure anymore. The whole atmosphere surrounding the place made shivers run up and down her spine. She wrung her hands in front of her and bit her lip, contemplating turning around and running back towards her car.

"Don't be such a wuss! Knock on that door!" she told herself.

When she raised her hand to knock, though, the enormous wooden door seemed to be open already. It was standing ajar and Elena pushed her hands against it, trying to see inside.

"Hello?"

It was dead quiet, save for some birds chirping away in the trees above the house. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.

"Mr. Salvatore?" she called out again.

When her eyes landed on the interior of the boarding house, her eyes bulged out of her head. Wow. The whole place came right out of the 19th century… or earlier even. There was wooden paneling to her left and right and in front of her was an enormous fireplace. This house was really something.

A door creaked somewhere and Elena felt her heart jump a bit, before turning around. There was no one behind her, though and she smiled at her nervousness. When she turned back towards the fireplace and bumped into a hard body, she let out a small yelp.

A man with the most piercing blue eyes she had ever seen was staring at her. While Elena took a deep breath to make her heartrate slow down somewhat, he was sizing her up. Wow, he was gorgeous! It had been a while since she had been with someone and her body made a point of it by almost screaming that it wanted this man to do some things to her. Black jeans, a black t-shirt that fit tight around his chest… and he had the most penetrating gaze that made her want to unravel all of her secrets for him.

There was an intensity in the air around them as none of them spoke at first. A slow smile began to creep up his face, which Elena immediately labeled as cocky. This man was definitely aware of his presence and what it did to others. Of course, why wouldn't he? He was sinfully handsome with his crystal eyes and careless, dark hair. Also, the aura of mystery surrounding him was enough to make Elena's knees want to buckle. Right, she needed to say something now.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this… uhm, your door was open."

He didn't respond at first, looking behind her.

"You must be Elena," he suddenly said, while taking it upon himself to close said door. "I'm Damon."

Was it hot in here? Elena felt sincerely strange around this man.

"Please, come." He invited her into the large space, which held the fireplace that she had been eyeing earlier.

"Wow! So this is your living room?"

"Living room.. parlor… seventies auction… Please, have a seat."

He motioned her over towards one of the large sectionals and she sat down on it, crossing her legs in front of her.

"So… Elena Gilbert. What makes someone who is actually aspiring to be a writer, work for a newspaper as boring as the Mystic Falls Gazette?"

He was standing with his back towards her, staring into the flames of the fireplace while holding a drink in his hand, that he had just poured himself.

"I see that you did some digging."

Damon turned around to face her.

"You're looking for information about me, therefore I want information about you. I need to know who I invite into my house," he said, while looking at her intently.

Elena looked down, feeling herself becoming uncomfortable underneath his stare.

"I'm sorry. I didn't offer you anything to drink."

"That's okay. It's a little early for me to be joining you."

Damon gave her a puzzled look. He got the message as she eyed his drink.

"I wasn't offering you alcohol, Miss Gilbert. I've got a perfectly decent coffee supply in the kitchen," he chuckled.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry. But I'm good."

He seemed to be sizing her up and down again, making her stomach flutter. She bit her lip, looking anywhere but at him. Her heart pounded in her chest. God, why did this man have such an overwhelming effect on her?

"You didn't answer my question," he reminded her.

"What do you mean?"

Elena watched as he sat down in a chair across from her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Why have you not pursued becoming an author?"

Okay, when had this interview become about her? She needed to get back on track here; he was throwing her off!

"If you really did your homework, Mr. Salvatore, you would know that my parents died right after I graduated from college and I was left with the care of my little brother. I didn't have the time to be dreaming about what could be. I was offered a job at the local newspaper and that was that," she answered, a bit chagrined.

She watched as he rubbed his chin, seeming to be pondering about something.

"Yes, but that was years ago. Your little brother is all grown up now, so what is holding you back?"

Elena sighed irritably, leaning forward to grab her dictator from her purse.

"While I appreciate you wanting to know who you invite into your house, how or why I make decisions in my life is none of your business. Can we get to the interview now, please?"

"Duly noted. I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable. That's not my intention."

Elena put the dictator on the table in front of her and took a deep breath.

"Okay, your family has been building and investing in and around Mystic Falls since the early 19th century and they've been doing really well. What inspires so many generations to stay here instead of investing somewhere else.. somewhere bigger?"

Damon frowned at her.

"Well, as you put it yourself; my family has been here for ages. It was my ancestor Joseph who started everything here and ever since then, every new generation took over. I guess we all felt that this was home."

"I can relate to that," Elena smiled. " No one can really explain it, but Mystic Falls has this allure to it."

"Yes, it does."

There was something in the way that he said it while looking at her, that made Elena's heart skip a few beats. Her throat became very dry, and for a moment, she felt sorry for the fact that she didn't take him up on that offer for a drink.

"Uhm.. why do you think your company has been flourishing for so long?"

"Because we're good at reading people, Miss Gilbert," Damon answered her, giving her a secretive smile that made her skin break out in goosebumps. "I know exactly what they want and how they want it. It's a matter of knowing and using that knowledge to make things happen."

The tension between them returned full force. Elena wrung her hands in front of her, afraid that if she didn't, her hands would be doing something else entirely right then and there. What was this? He was so… compelling… there was no other word for it.

"Can I… Can I be bold here?" Elena asked.

Damon raised his eyebrows at her.

"You say that you're good at people, but you're hardly around them. How do you get to know who they are and what they want if you hardly see anyone?"

The way the air was sucked out of the room, made Elena think that she had crossed the line. She knew she needed to be very careful with her questions and never bring up Katherine. But this.. she just had to ask.

"I've got my employers who do the fieldwork for me, Miss Gilbert. I don't actually need to see someone all that often to know what makes them tick."

"So you always stay behind the scenes. Why?"

She was threading on thin ice here and she was well aware of it. Damon stood up and came to sit on the table right in front of her, their knees almost touching. Elena's breathing became a bit too fast to her taste, feeling the electricity surge between them. There was that cocky smirk of his again. He knew… He knew what he was doing to her and he seemed to revel in it. Was this a game to him? Or did he feel something as well?

"I'm a very busy and private man, Miss Gilbert. I don't see the need to change that. My clients are happy with me."

"Right," she mumbled. "The 200 year anniversary of Mystic Falls is coming up. Will you be there? Your family was a big part in founding this town."

"I don't know that yet. We'll see what my schedule thinks of it."

Damn, he was a tough cookie to crack!

"Will you be there?"

"Sorry.. what?"

"The anniversary of Mystic Falls," he made himself clear. "Will you be there?"

Elena shook her head, trying to get a grasp on the situation, which he seemed to have control over. This wasn't going well at all. She'd barely asked two questions!

"Yes. That's the whole reason for this interview; a piece on the founding families."

"Good."

He smiled at her and Elena was at a loss. This had to be the strangest man she had ever met.

"You are now 40 years old, are there things that you still want to achieve?" she tried to continue.

"In life or in business? I know that you're still thirty, flirty and thriving, Miss Gilbert, but 40 is not that old," Damon laughed.

Elena felt her cheeks becoming beet red with the way he was taking that question. God, she had never been this terrible at interviewing a person! When could she get out of here?

"I'm sorry, Mr. Salvatore. I never tried to imply that you're old. I'm simply curious about what you want for the future; in business and yes.. in life."

He seemed to ponder over that question, taking a sip from his bourbon.

"We never know where life takes us, do we, Miss Gilbert?"

Elena raised her eyebrows at him.

"That's very vague, don't you think? So you're going to leave it up to chance?"

Damon got up and began to pace the living room.

"I think that you misunderstood me. I never leave things up to chance; I'm not the type of person to sit back and wait for things to come to me. If that's your attitude in life, you will always be the 'victim' of whatever happens to you. However, there are always factors that are out of your hands. That's what makes things interesting."

Okay, could he be any more evasive? Was he talking about what happened to his wife now? Could she go there?

"So you're a hands-on kind of person? Then why remain in the background of things? If I may say so, life is out there for you to take."

Wow. Yep. He was going to throw her out now. She watched as he narrowed his eyes at her, clearly thinking about how to wisely choose his words.

"I see that we're getting back to that point. What exactly are you implying, Miss Gilbert? Does it concern you that I don't show my face in town as much as I used to, or does it concern you that I live here alone?"

"The question is, Mr. Salvatore, does it concern _you_?"

She boldly stared into his eyes as she asked her last question, and for a single moment, she felt like she had gotten to him. His mouth closed ever so slightly and his expression changed.

"Do you have a significant other, Miss Gilbert?" he suddenly asked.

Huh? Was he taking another sidetrack again?

"I'm sorry?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Elena looked at her dictator, wanting to roll her eyes at the entire situation. How was she ever going to write a piece about the Salvatore's if he kept turning the tables on her? She shook her head.

"I don't see what that has to do with.."

"Exactly," he interrupted her. "I thought you wanted to ask about the Salvatore history and the company? Instead, I'm answering questions about my personal life. Is there a particular reason for that?"

Again, the blood rose to her head and she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

"Forgive me, Mr. Salvatore. It wasn't my intention to put you on the spot, but if I'm frank here; it's what the readers want to know. You, Damon Salvatore, are a complete mystery to this town. You fascinate them. Surely, you understand why; this is a small town where people know each other. Nobody really knows you."

Damon flopped back down on the couch opposite from her and ran his hands through his hair; a move Elena followed with distinct fascination.

"Do people really know _you_, Miss Gilbert? Do you worry about how other people see you? Because I don't."

"But don't you want to share this all with someone?" Elena exclaimed. "Isn't it lonely to be so alone?"

Damon leaned back and eyed her with an amused look on her face.

"Are you offering, Miss Gilbert? I don't do relationships anymore. Why invest in something that only relies on chemistry in the brain?"

"You say that like every relationship is doomed to end," Elena retorted.

Damon shrugged. "Well, I'm a fatalist."

"You can't live without love, Damon. I mean, Mr. Salvatore."

If he noticed her slip up, he chose to ignore it. There was still this smirk on his face that she wanted to smack right off!

"Oh, I've got love's advocate here. Love is painful and overrated."

"Look," Elena started, as she held up her hands in defense. "I'm probably stepping over the line here and I understand that with the death of your wife, love did a real number on you. But isn't it more horrible to live without those emotions? To never feel for someone, ever again?"

Damon tossed back another bourbon.

"It's been working for me so far."

Elena sighed and shook her head.

"So you just pretend not to feel?"

"Oh, I feel," Damon admitted, as he stood up and towered over her. "I feel all sorts of things. I even feel it when a woman like you stops and stares at me."

Elena wasn't going to back down this time, though. She got up as well and stood her ground in front of him. She swallowed as she noticed how close to each other they were actually standing; almost toe to toe… and she could feel his breath on her face.

She held up her chin defiantly. "I'm here for professional reasons."

"Then why the long speech about wanting to find me love?"

"It was just an advice," she mumbled.

He was looking at her lips for a moment and her heart wanted to jump right out of her chest. By God, he was so attractive! There was just no way, though. It wouldn't be very professional. She needed to get out of there… break that spell which seemed to have a hold over her. His gaze had turned dark.

"I think… uhm… I think that I've got everything I needed. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Salvatore," she managed to get out, extending her hand towards him and stepping back to create some distance.

His eyes held hers for a second, before he took her hand.

"Looking forward to seeing you at the Mystic Falls anniversary," he said, his annoying smirk back in place.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped aside and opened the front door for her.

"The pleasure was all mine, Elena Gilbert."

In that moment, he lifted her hand towards his mouth. Her knees threatened to buckle as he lightly grazed the back of it with his lips.

"Yeah… bye," she said, as she almost stumbled out onto the driveway. When she looked back, he had closed the door behind her. For a second, she leaned her forehead against said door, trying to regain some control. That had to have been the most intense man that she had ever met. He wasn't the kind of type that she should fall for, though, and she needed to be wary of that. There were too many things off with him. With newfound resolve, she walked over towards her car with sure paces, missing how he stood in the window, watching her…

**A/N: Hi! Yep, I know. I still need to finish 'Only Time.' The thing is, this wouldn't leave me alone. It will probably be a two-or three part story, depending on whether people like it, so let me know your thoughts! Xoxo, Mardre. **


	2. Chapter 2

It was one of those days; the kind were everything just went wrong. Today had been the 200 year anniversary of Mystic Falls. It had been organized to a 'T' and nothing had gone as planned. Here Elena was, having spent an insane amount of time on the event; it was supposed to have been the highlight of her story about Damon, the Salvatores and the founding of this town. Then, it had all circled down the drain

Her first bout of chagrin was about Damon Salvatore himself; she had written a wonderful piece about him and his family, even if she said so herself. Her boss was proud and the population of Mystic Falls were intrigued with the story. Secretly, she had hoped that he would have read it and reached out to her to tell her how he felt about it. Of course, he had made it perfectly clear that he couldn't care less what people said about him and his lifestyle, so the chances of him reading a story about himself were slim to none. Still, she was disappointed when she hadn't heard from him. It had been 2 long weeks since the interview; 2 weeks of this man completely invading her dreams, controlling her thoughts and making her quiver in anticipation of seeing him again today. She had been like a high school girl, nervously scanning the crowds in hopes of catching a glimpse of the dark-haired man with the face of an Angel and the body of a God. He hadn't shown and it bothered her to no end. Somehow, he held a power of her that she couldn't understand. How long had she been in that house, interviewing him? Maybe an hour? He was basically a complete stranger to her and yet, in her mind, he wouldn't leave her alone.

She had tried to get over her disappointment of not seeing him again by celebrating with her friends and then, the weather had changed. It had been predicted that a storm would come, but the weather forecast mentioned that it was going to hit Mystic Falls way after midnight. It had been anticipated and calculated by everyone involved in making the day special. The fireworks would start at 10 p.m. and about an hour later, the crew would quickly make sure that everything was set for the storm. Then, it had hit hours earlier; at around 8 p.m., chaos ensued with a downpour that was so intense, everyone was drenched within seconds. Elena's friends had rushed over towards the Mystic Grill to wait it out over there, but Elena wouldn't have any of that. It hadn't looked like the storm would be over for hours and she definitely didn't want to sit around with everyone in town, huddling together all wet and smelling like a wet dog. Instead, she had sprinted towards her car, intent on making it home. She could have a shower there and snuggle underneath her covers, while listening to the thunder outside. Of course, to make the day even worse, her car broke down on the side of a very deserted road and she had left her cell phone at home.

Elena began to pummel the wheel in front of her as if that would help.

"Fuck!"

She noticed how her body began to shiver with the cold, a side effect from being in wet clothes and not getting the chance to warm up somewhere. Sinking down in her seat, she buried her head in her hands. With her luck, she would probably be stuck here until morning.

A soft noise jolted her out of her 'poor me' mood. As she glanced out on the deserted road to see what it was, a dark figure stood in front of her car. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest when he came closer. Great. Now, on top of being drenched and slightly hypothermic, she now had to deal with a creep!

As he approached her window, her fear somewhat subsided. Two very familiar eyes stared back at her and her heart began to uncontrollably pound inside of her ribcage. She would recognize that ocean of blue anywhere.

"Damon," she whispered out into the dark.

He opened her door and leaned down.

"Car trouble?"

"Obviously."

She trembled in her seat, but this time, she wasn't sure whether it was due to the cold or from his proximity. The rain was pouring down on him and to be honest; he looked sexy as hell because of it. Where she probably looked horrible with her make-up smeared across her face, the water seemed to stick perfectly to his body. His hair was wet and small droplets trickled down across his face towards his lips. Yeah, he still had the same impact on her as he did 2 weeks ago.

"Have you tried triple A?"

"I forgot my cell phone, Mr. Salvatore."

She watched as he scanned the road for a second, before he leaned back down again.

"Mine doesn't have service."

Elena began to shiver uncontrollably now and he noticed.

"How long have you been out here?"

"Too long. An hour maybe.. or two?"

"Okay, here's what we're going to do; my car is over there. I'm going to drive you home, so you can get warm. You can call about your car from there."

She wasn't going to argue. She didn't want to be out on this road in these wet clothes for another minute! Quickly, she hopped out of the car and locked it. Then, she followed Mr. Tall, Sexy and Mysterious towards his car.

"Get in. I'll get you a blanket from the trunk," he told her.

She did as he said and slid into the passenger seat. It was made from expensive leather and she almost wanted to roll her eyes with how much she expected that from him.

"Here, let's put this around you."

Before she knew what he was doing, he was kneeling down beside her and carefully slipping a blanket around her body. His eyes examined her for a second. When his gaze landed on her brown orbs, though, he halted. There it was again; Elena could only describe it as electricity. Her heart seemed to momentarily forget how to beat as she felt a longing so intense, it made her want to lean forward and come to learn what those lips really tasted like. Of course, she didn't do that.

"Where do you live?" he softly asked.

"2104 Maple Street."

As he went back over towards the driver's side and got in, Elena desperately tried to keep her emotions in check. She huddled close into her blanket as if it was keeping her safe from him. What was this thing between them? No one over the course of the thirty years that she was alive had ever made her feel this way and it was a scary thing. It was like she was parched and he was a tall glass of water.

She couldn't seem to keep her eyes off him during the ride. She tried to be subtle about it, secretly peering at him from underneath her eyelashes, but he caught on. His eyes left the road for a moment to give her this look that told her that he knew. Of course, he had already known when she had interviewed him; in fact, he had basically taunted her with it. Did he feel it this intense as well, or did he just like to play games and mess with her head?

Elena didn't notice the cold at all anymore, as she felt a red hot fire surging through her body with the absolute hunger that seemed to consume her. He was passion, excitement and a little danger all wrapped up in a sexy package. Her skin tingled with the knowledge that he was sitting close to her. What was he doing to her?

"I think we're here," he suddenly announced.

Elena glanced up at her house in absolute gratitude, happy that in a few moments, she could escape him and this magical juju that he was performing on her.

"Thank you," she muttered, and quickly exited the car.

He followed her up towards her front porch, though.

"You didn't actually have to walk me up to my door, you know?" Elena chuckled nervously.

Damon's gaze remained calm and a little firm.

"Elena, I found you shivering in wet clothes in a car that couldn't perform any heat for you, so I'm staying to make sure that you're fine. Get inside, take a shower and I'll call triple A for you."

The way that he said it told her that this wasn't up for discussion, so she opened her front door and stepped inside. The warmth of her house was everything she needed in that moment and she almost sighed in pure bliss.

"Mr. Salvatore," she began.

"I think we're a bit past the whole 'Mr. Salvatore' and 'Miss Gilbert' thing," Damon said with an amused smile. "Call me Damon."

"Okay, Damon. I got it from here. Thank you, but I'm sure you want to get home."

Damon closed the front door behind him and leaned up against it, crossing his arms in front of him.

"You do realize that your lips are blue, right? Look, I'll be out of your hair soon. I just need to know that you're okay."

He said it in a such a soft manner that Elena felt the walls of her heart began to crumble. All right then, he could stay. She gave him a nod and quickly went upstairs to help herself out of her wet clothes. When she stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, a little horrified squeak left her throat.

Her hair was matted to her face and she had 'raccoon eyes,' a saying that Caroline sometimes used when a woman had been crying a lot and her make-up was splayed out on her cheeks. There was just no way that Damon could find this attractive at all!

After a quick, warm shower, she slipped into some pj's and put her robe on. Damon was sitting on her couch when she got back downstairs and gave her a once-over when she stepped into the room.

"Triple A will have your car towed. They'll call here tomorrow from the garage," he informed her.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Do you feel better?"

Elena nodded. "I do."

"You look better. Right then, I'm going home. Do you need anything?"

The wind outside was really beginning to pick up and Elena could hear something being knocked into the side of her house. It sounded scary… and she was about to send him out into that weather because she was too nervous to be around him.

"Wait. You can stay. At least until that horrible wind dies down somewhat. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Coffee is good."

Elena quickly made them some and sat down across from him, letting her hands enclose the warm mug of black liquid.

"Why weren't you at the anniversary party? I thought that you would come?" she questioned him.

Damon leaned back in his seat and quirked his eyebrows at her.

"I never said that I would definitely be there, Elena. I said I might."

"It would have been the perfect occasion to re-introduce yourself, sort of."

"Why would I want that?" He was giving her a challenging look.

Elena bit her lip and met his stare dead on, even if it did cause a million butterflies to dance in her stomach.

"Have you at least read my article about you and the Salvatores?" she asked him.

"I did."

Her heart skipped a beat at those words. He had actually taken the time to read what she had to say about him?

"And?"

"It was all right."

All right? All right! Okay, now he had her seething!

"My boss thought it was excellent. A lot of people read my story," she said, defiantly.

Damon leaned forward a bit, giving her that annoying smirk that she was beginning to detest.

"Well, good on you, then. I just thought that it was a bit.. predictable."

"Predictable?!"

Elena hated the way her voice had become a bit squeaky with her emotions, but she couldn't help it. Damon Salvatore was riling her up.

"Don't take it personally. Your writing is good, though your interview style could use some improvements. The questions were… well, your average questions. The questions that you would expect in an interview. You didn't think outside of the box."

Elena felt her hands ball up at her sides, anger beginning to get the best of her.

"You were constantly throwing me off and never once answered any of my questions completely!"

"I was throwing you off?"

He was asking it very innocently, but he did this thing with his eyes that would make half of Mystic Falls drop their panties for him.

"There!" she almost yelled. "That's exactly what was throwing me off. Stop with the flirty little comments and that eye thing that you do!"

"What eye thing?"

Then, he did the eye thing again. Elena threw her hands up in a dramatic gesture.

"You are incorrigible."

"I've been told that once or twice," Damon shrugged. "Cute pj's, by the way."

Elena looked down at herself and realized that her robe had slipped open somewhat in her anger, revealing her top and a hint of cleavage. She quickly closed it up again, grasping the sides together underneath her chin.

"It doesn't matter what you say. I know that my article was good."

Damon threw his head back and laughed.

"You just can't let it go, can you? I never said that it was bad, I just said that it needed some improvements." He got up from his seat and looked out of the window, checking to see how bad the storm was.

"If you let what everybody else thinks of you take control of your life, you're never going to get to where you want to be, Elena."

Elena swallowed at his words and looked down. He was right about that; she was too insecure at times.

She stood up, seeing that he was getting ready to leave. A part of her was relieved that the temptation would be removed, so to speak. The other part was disappointed that it didn't get more time with this man, who was _so_ hard to read. He gave her the once-over again, checking to see if she was really okay.

"You have some coffee on your upper lip… right… there."

In the moment when he said 'there,' he turned to wipe the moisture off with the tip of thumb. It was as if all the air whooshed out of her in that instant. She felt herself gasping for breath, her chest heaving to get everything under control.

"I think that you need to go," she whispered, sounding as if she had just run the marathon.

He noticed… he noticed how she was holding onto the last bit of her reserve, desperately trying not to give into him. She didn't want danger and mystery, she wanted someone who was stable and… safe. Damon Salvatore was anything but safe. Her skin broke out in goosebumps as his hand cupped the side of her face.

"Don't," she groaned, closing her eyes to try and block him out.

"Why not?"

Her feet wouldn't move… she could easily push him out of the way, so why didn't she? They were nothing but a hairsbreadth away from the front door.

"I'm not hearing anything, Elena. Why not?" Damon repeated himself, inching even closer towards her.

She felt herself drowning in the blue of his eyes, her body betraying her in every way possible.

"I'm still not hearing anything," he said one last time, before he carefully leaned in. He was taking his time, hovering close by, giving her a chance to step away from the situation. When she didn't, his lips descended over hers.

It was even better than she had already imagined a thousand times in her dreams. His kiss was soft at first, as if he was carefully tasting her, lightly caressing her lips with his own. Elena felt herself kissing him back, the hot fire that had been teasing her ever since she had seen him earlier that night, erupting inside of her like a raging volcano. Then, his tongue asked for permission to enter her mouth and she was done. Her legs seemed to buckle underneath her and she was grateful that he put an arm around her lower back, hoisting her up against the wall beside the door.

"Damon," she breathed, as a moan escaped her.

Her body shook from the impact of his kiss and she couldn't do anything but hold on for the ride. He knew exactly what he was doing; even in the way that he kissed he seemed cocky and arrogant. His tongue challenged her… played with her… he was definitely the dominant factor and he made sure of it. Suddenly, he let go, while Elena was still panting. She kept her eyes closed for a moment, trying to compose herself. That had been… Well, she had never felt anything remotely like that during a kiss! A small smile played at the corners of her mouth as she waited for him to kiss her again. Nothing happened, though. With a frown, she opened her eyes.

Damon was already out the front door and halfway to his car, when Elena glanced out into the dark night. The wind had died down somewhat, but the thunder was still crackling. When a flash of light lit up his figure, he looked up at her one last time.

"Goodnight, Elena," he said loud enough for her to hear.

Then, he stepped into his car and drove away….

**A/N: Yeah, what can I say about this one? This story is going to hot and sexy, that's for sure. Thank you for your support; I appreciate your reviews! Xoxo, Mardre. **


	3. Chapter 3

Elena stood on that same gravel path where she had been a few weeks ago, only this time, she knew where that path would lead her. The same massive, wooden door loomed up ahead of her again, as she remembered herself almost running through it that first time. Her hands shook and her stomach did some crazy flips inside of her, as she contemplated keeping that damn blanket that _he_ had put around her on that night of the Mystic Falls anniversary.

It had all been the idea of her friends; give back the blanket and find out what the hell had been up with that kiss… and him leaving after said kiss. To say that her friends had been surprised with her attraction towards the man who kept everyone talking with the air of secrecy around him was an understatement. Elena had never seen eyes bulge out of a head like that.

"_Damon Salvatore? The man who nobody ever gets to see? He kissed you? And then he left?!"_

_Elena nodded. _

"_That's the one."_

"_He's strange, Elena. I wouldn't want to get involved with that one," Caroline Forbes advised. _

_Bonnie Bennet sat next to the blonde and gave her a look. _

"_Of course, you're completely normal."_

"_Well, I don't go around hiding myself for so many years."_

_Bonnie threw back her head and laughed. _

"_Yes, because pigs will fly first before Caroline Forbes misses an attempt to take the stage. Elena, tell me… when he kissed you… on a scale of 1 to 10.. how was he?"_

_Elena gave a little smile when she remembered the feel of his lips on hers. _

"_I'd say an 11," she said. _

_Caroline's eyebrows raised high up in the air with that answer. _

"_Really? I would think that someone who's been a recluse for so long wouldn't know how to… perform anymore."_

"_Oh, he knows," Elena winked at her. "I highly doubt that he's a eunuch. He knows exactly what he's doing, trust me. A man with looks like him.. even if he tries to hide, women will always find someone like that."_

"_So you're saying that the man is so drop-dead gorgeous, he's like a beacon to us women all around and we would drop our panties for him in a hat?"_

_Elena looked down at the floor when she could feel herself begin to blush. _

"_Okay, strange or not.. now I'm really curious!" Caroline said, excitedly. _

"_Yes, Caroline hears about a hot man and somehow, all thoughts go flying out of the window. You'd better hide Damon Salvatore even better, Elena. Caroline might go after him first."_

"_Are you trying to piss me off?! Why are you on my case?" _

_Bonnie laughed at her friend. _

"_Because you are just too easy to play around with, Care. I do love you, though. Remember that," she said, as she blew Caroline a kiss._

"_So how am I going to play this one out? Do I confront him about the kiss? Of course, when Damon doesn't want to be found, you won't find him. I learned that when I was trying to get in touch with him about the interview. It took forever."_

"_Well, he wrapped a blanket around you the night of the kiss, right? So I'd say you try and return it. It's your ticket in, Elena. Use it…."_

Elena held the blanket in her hands as she knocked, waiting for him to arrive at the door. It was really not a surprise to her that he didn't answer. She came unannounced and like she had stated to her friends; he was difficult to reach. Music was coming from the inside, so he was home. She was sure of it.

Carefully, she tried the door, and to her surprise it wasn't locked… just like when they had first met.

"Damon?"

Elena peeked her head around the wooden frame, trying to see if he was in the living room somewhere, but she couldn't really see around the corner. There was this alternative version of 'Enjoy the silence' blaring throughout the house. It was deafening and there was no way that he would have heard her knock or her calling out to him. Right, what should she do? Should she enter and call out again? Maybe just to see if he was in the living room.. then she would go.

She quickly stepped inside and walked up towards the fireplace, where they had had their interview a few weeks ago. The living room seemed empty.

"Damon!" she called out one last time.

All that greeted her was music. He wasn't here. Well then, she wouldn't go beyond this. Time to leave. Elena tucked the blanket underneath her right arm and headed for the front door. Just as she reached out for the handle, a movement behind her stopped her dead in her tracks. So he _was_ here, then.

"Hey, I was gonna….OH!"

Complete shock and embarrassment overtook her as her eyes landed on his naked form, when she turned around to face him. What shocked her even more, was that he wasn't in the least bit uncomfortable or shy about it. He just stood there, with a hint of a smile on his face as he took in her bewilderment. Elena couldn't help but take a quick peek between his legs. Oh my… he was… big… Right, what was she doing?! She put her hands in front of her eyes as her cheeks turned crimson with the knowledge that she had just stared at Damon Salvatore's cock on purpose.. and yes, he knew about it.

"Good morning," he greeted her. "What brings you by?"

Elena still had her hands in front of her face and wanted to scowl at him.

"You knew!" she hissed. "You knew that I was here and you…"

"Hey, in case you've forgotten; this _is_ my house. It is a Saturday morning and if I feel like walking around naked, I will do just that. You're the one who came in here unannounced."

He was right. She hated that he was right! She threw the blanket that she held in her hands at him without opening her eyes and waited for him to put it around his hips. When he had, she put her hands down again.

"I was here to return that blanket."

Damon shrugged.

"I wasn't missing it or anything."

"No, but when I borrow stuff, I don't intend on keeping them."

"Okay, you've returned it. Thank you. Was there anything else?"

Why was he so casual? He was standing there naked, for crying out loud! Elena bit her lip and looked down. It was now or never. She needed to confront him and ask him what he wanted from her.

"Whatwasupwithyoukissingme?"

Right. That sounded like a severe case of word-diarrhea. She had tied all the words together and he was looking at her like someone had dropped her on her head.

"What was up with me kissing you?" he repeated her question.

Okay, was the blood ever going to leave her face? She was blushing so furiously, it embarrassed the heck out of her!

"Yeah, what was up with the kiss?" she heard herself mumble.

"It was a kiss. Is something supposed to be up with it?"

He wasn't making it any easier on her and Elena wanted to run out the door and never look back again this time. So what if he was making her feel things? This was horrible!

"Well, you kissed me and then you left. Why?"

"I kissed you because I felt like it and I left because you had had a horrible night. I thought that you might have wanted to get some rest."

Elena shook her head.

"Yeah, but you left right after the kiss. I hadn't even opened my eyes yet!"

With the way he was smirking at her, she wanted to smack the side of his face! He was so annoying!

"So what are you saying? Did you want me to stay?"

"No, I…"

As a journalist and an aspiring writer, she wasn't supposed to be at a loss for words. Somehow, though, with this man, all bets were off. Things were different with him. _He_ was different.

"I just thought that it would have been a bit more polite to say 'goodnight' to my face, rather than having you holler it from the streets."

Damon nodded.

"I apologize, I was a bit… hasty."

"Yes, you were."

He was zoning in on her and Elena backed up against the wall behind her. It was almost a repeat from last time.

"Let me see if I can get it right this time, then."

His voice was so… seductive… everything about him was intoxicating. She put her hand on his naked chest to keep him at bay.

"It wasn't an invitation for you to do it again," she whispered huskily. "You caught me off guard the first time."

"Really?" Damon quirked an eyebrow at her. "I caught you off guard?"

Elena nodded.

"Okay. Am I catching you off guard now?"

"Well," Elena raised her chin up at him defiantly. "You _are_ naked underneath that blanket, so yeah.. I'd say that I'm caught off guard."

It was a push and pull situation that they were in and they were both playing the game at this point. Damon gave her the once-over, before he pulled away with a smirk.

"Thanks for returning said blanket."

With that, he wandered off into some dark nook of the enormous house, leaving her standing alone in the hallway.

So that was it, then? Did he expect her to leave now? What in the world was up with that man?! Caroline was right; he was strange as heck! Well, two could play this game; she wasn't going anywhere! She sat herself down in one of the sectionals in front of the fireplace and waited patiently. From around here somewhere, Damon had turned the music off and she could hear a clock ticking in the distance.

It took him forever, and for a moment there, she thought that he might have left the house. Then, he came from around a corner and leaned himself against the fireplace. He was a bit more dressed this time, with some tight, dark jeans on and an unbuttoned shirt.

"I thought you were leaving," he rumbled.

Elena remained seated underneath his scrutinizing gaze and stared right back at him.

"Call me crazy, but for once, I'd actually like to finish something that I started with you. In the interview, you barely answered my questions. Then, you kiss me and disappear before I get a chance to say anything about it and now, I've come to return your blanket and you just walk off into the house somewhere. Has no one ever taught you communication skills?"

He moved from his position and leaned down over her, trapping her in the icy depths of his crystal orbs.

"I thought you were caught off guard…" he smirked at her. "I was giving you the chance to back away. You should have taken it."

Elena could feel her throat becoming as dry as the desert and she swallowed with difficulty.

"I'm going to be blunt here, Elena Gilbert. I'm not the kind of man you would want to introduce to your friends. I don't do hearts or flowers; I've been there and done that. I'm also not the man who's going to fall in love with you. If you want all of that, there's the door. I also don't tend to be a very nice person; I don't want to talk about things and I don't cuddle after sex."

"So what _do_ you do, then?" Elena deadpanned.

Damon let his eyes drift over her body, before settling back on her face.

"I could fuck you until you wouldn't be able to walk anymore."

The air was heavy with silence after that. Elena bit her lip, not really sure what to do. Her body was screaming at her for her to do it. A sexual relationship with him sounded exiting… exhilarating… Here she was, feeling something intense for this man.. a feeling that she hadn't felt before. She could explore all of that as long as it didn't turn into love.

She watched as he backed away from her, pouring himself a bourbon. Realization dawned on her as she understood that this was a damaged man. There was nothing left in him to give anymore and that's why he didn't give a damn about anyone or what they might think of him. Could she give herself to someone like that? Someone who was empty inside and saw women as a means to an end? She had wanted to know, that's why she had come here. She had wanted to talk about the kiss and see where it could lead. Now, the answer to that was clear. He was never going to offer anything more than his body.

Elena got up from her seat and cleared her throat.

"I think that uhm.." Her voice sounded incredibly squeaky all of a sudden. "I think that I should go."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Damon said.

He didn't even turn around to face her. Elena could feel herself being pulled into two different directions; one wanted to run towards Damon and kiss the hell out of him, the other part was already in her car and away from that place. The latter won out.

"Thank you.. for the interview… and the help with my car and everything."

With that, she turned around. It would probably take her a very long time to forget about Damon Salvatore. To walk away was a self-preservation thing and the question of 'what if' would probably haunt her for months or maybe years to come. Maybe, one day, their paths would cross again. For now, she wasn't ready….

**A/N: This was mean and I know it! **** I'm going to let the readers decide whether I should continue this story or let it end right here. If you want it to continue, leave me a review and let me know how you want things to proceed. It's all up to you! Xoxo Mardre.**


	4. Chapter 4

The music was throbbing as Elena made her way over towards the bar of a place called 'The Pit.' It was a new nightspot located on the edge of Richmond. She hadn't really been interested in going, but had Caroline insisted that it was _the_ place to be as a single lady.

"_Elena, we're in our thirties. It is high time that we find someone who will sweep us off of our feet,"_ the blonde had pouted. _"Besides, Bonnie found someone before I did?! How did that happen?"_

Yes, Bonnie was now off the market thanks to Elena's baby brother Jeremy. She couldn't be happier for them; also, because she had spent a lifetime worrying about him. Now, she could actually breathe for the first time since his little stint with sustenance abuse. He and Bonnie would be good for each other.

Elena sat down on a barstool and watched as Caroline put her flirt on with some, she had to admit, sincerely attractive man. Leave it to the blonde to find the hottest guy in the room in about one hour flat.

"Can I get an apple martini, please?"

The bartender gave her a firm nod and went on his way. Meanwhile, Elena couldn't really find anyone to her liking; in her head, she was shooting everyone down before they had even talked to her. She just knew that 'fuck off' was written right across her forehead in that moment. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why. It had been ages since her last relationship had gone down the drain. Why couldn't she open herself up to anyone?

The answer to that was trying to fight its' way out of her subconsciousness, but she wasn't ready to face it. Frankly, it was insane that even after 5 months, those incredibly blue eyes still haunted her. Damon Salvatore had been an asshat for even suggesting to her that they could engage in a sexual fling! She was better than that.

"Hey," a man acknowledged her as he sat down on the barstool next to her. "How is it that a beautiful woman like you doesn't have a drink in front of her? Surely, men must we crawling all over themselves to bring you one?"

Elena wanted to roll her eyes but refrained from doing so. It wouldn't be polite.

"Oh, but it's coming. No worries, the bartender is on his way," she explained.

The blonde haired man smiled and leaned a bit into her. "May I just say that you have fantastic eyes?"

Okay, now she was ready to get the hell out of there!

"What's your name?"

"I'm Paul."

"Look, Paul.. Thank you for the compliment and everything, but…"

"You look a lot like my next girlfriend."

Whoa, did the man have some sort of pick up line guide lying next to him? Because he was using them all.

"Paul, I appreciate that.."

"Do you like Thai food? I mean, have you been to that new place a few blocks from here? I hear they serve some great dishes."

"It wasn't some sort of code for you to try harder," Elena moaned. "I appreciate you coming over here, but I'm just not interested." She wanted to bury her head in her hands; she appreciated him trying so hard.. she just wasn't in the mood.

"Are you always so shut down, afraid that the right man might come along?"

Okay, somebody save her from this situation! This man was sincerely aggressive and not taking no for an answer.

"Sorry I'm late, baby. Work was hectic. How was your day?" a deep voice interrupted them.

What the…? That voice couldn't belong to whom she thought it belonged to, right? She was almost afraid to look up. As soon as she saw his features, she knew that she was damned… because he still was _that_ hot; her throat tightened and her heart missed a few beats as he did that thing with his eyes that had been her undoing before. It was a good thing that she was sitting down.

"Well," Elena cleared her throat. "It was boring.. a bunch of meetings and such. Nice to meet you, Paul."

Finally, Paul got the message and left his bar stool, defeated. Of course, with Paul gone, Elena was left to face an even bigger challenge; Damon Salvatore. She watched as he casually sat down on the same stool that Paul had just vacated and ordered himself a bourbon. To her chagrin, he didn't even say anything as he imperturbably nursed his drink.

"What in the world are you doing here?" Elena finally managed to get out.

"Getting a drink."

"You're not following me or something, are you?"

Under any other circumstance, it was ridiculous to ask, but this was Damon Salvatore she was talking about. People usually didn't see him out and about, so what the heck was he doing in a popular bar?

"I don't follow people, Elena. They usually find me."

Right, now she wanted to pick up her recently delivered martini and toss it in his face. The man's arrogance was unbelievable!

"And yet I never came to you, Damon. Which raises the question again; what are you doing here?"

Damon leaned back and finally managed to peel his eyes away from his drink to look at her.

"This is a nice bar, Elena. I sometimes come here to have a drink and nobody asks me questions about it."

"Right!" Elena huffed. "You expect me to believe that you need to come to a popular bar to have a drink? You've got an entire wine cellar at your house! You live in a very small town and yet, nobody ever sees you around or knows anything about you. I highly doubt that you would ever go to a place like this."

"And yet, here I am."

Elena shook her head. She was so done with this.

"You know what. I don't care. Thank you for your help earlier. Have a pleasant evening."

With that, she picked up her purse and slid off of her barstool. Time to find Caroline. The blonde, however, was having success with her man and was currently busy sliding her tongue down his throat. Great, she couldn't interrupt that! Where else could she go to escape Damon?

_Take off my clothes_

_Blow up the fire_

_Don't be so shy_

She pushed her way past the gyrating bodies on the dancefloor, desperate to find some sort of exit. For some reason, she felt like she couldn't breathe if she remained in the same room as him. Thankfully, she was out on the sidewalk quick enough and she took a deep breath. Why? After not seeing him for 5 months, why did she still find him so insanely attractive? She needed to get over it!

Goosebumps broke out on her skin as the night sky proved to be a lot colder than it was inside of 'The Pit.' She put her arms around herself and bit her lip. Just perfect! Now she wanted to go home, but Caroline definitely hadn't looked ready for that.

Someone approached her from behind and put a leather jacket around her. Without looking back, she immediately knew who it was.

"So you _are_ following me, then?"

Damon came to stand next to her and shrugged.

"You left the bar rather angry. I was worried about the people out here, facing your wrath," he joked.

Elena wasn't laughing, though, so he changed his tune. "It's not exactly safe for a woman to walk the streets alone at night. I came to make sure that you are all right."

"Well, what's it to you? You were very clear with me when you said that you wanted nothing from me besides a good romp in the bedroom. Leave me alone, Damon!"

"Ah, so that's what this is all about. You're angry with me for making the suggestion."

Elena swirled around on her heels and faced him, pushing up her index finger in his face.

"Did you really think that all that I wanted was the exterior…," she paused for a moment and couldn't help but cast her eyes downward between his legs, "package?"

"What _do_ you want from me then?"

"All of you!" Elena almost screamed, making some people stop to turn their head into their direction curiously. "Why is it that you think that everything needs to come down to sex? I'm better than that!"

Damon raised his eyebrows at her.

"All of me? You don't even know me well enough to make that assessment, Elena. I already told you in my interview that love isn't something that's in the cards with me."

"You never give anyone a chance to get close! I wanted to get to know you, I did! So life did a number on you? Guess what; you're not the only one who got a shitty deal somewhere along the way, Salvatore!"

Elena watched as something dark crossed over his face. He stepped closer towards her, making her back up a bit until she hit the wall of the building.

"So you think you know everything, then? Huh? You think that you could be the glue to put everything back together? Life doesn't work like that, little girl."

"You're calling me a little girl? That's rich, coming from someone who is so scared to feel anything! You call that a life, living within your walls and occasionally screwing the next one to come along? You're hiding and you know it! Good luck with the next forty years or something, being alone."

Elena stormed back inside, ready to tell Caroline that she desperately wanted to leave. She was still with her beau, but Elena couldn't wait around for that.

"I'm calling a cab," she told her friend, as Caroline saw her coming.

"What's wrong?"

"You can stay here if you want, but I can't."

Caroline gave her a puzzled look, not understanding what was happening.

"Calm down, sweetie. Tell me what's going on."

Elena couldn't really talk to her with her sexy conquest of the evening attached to her, so she shook her head.

"It's nothing for you to worry about right now. I just came to tell you that I need to get home. Are you going to be all right?"

Caroline turned towards her hot man. "Klaus, something is up. I'm going to go home with her, okay? You have my number. Call me."

The two shared another sweet kiss and Elena felt horrible for interrupting them. They seemed like they had really hit it off.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's call that cab and talk about what has got your panties in such a twist. Did a guy bother you, or something?" Caroline asked.

"Not just any guy," Elena sighed. "Damon Salvatore."

"Whoa! Damon is here? As in, in this very building?"

Immediately, the blonde began to scan the crowds.

"Don't be so obvious, Care!" Elena rolled her eyes at her friend.

"What? The man is so elusive, he's become almost a living legend. I want to see what all the fuss is about."

Elena noticed that Damon had taken his spot at the bar again, drinking his infamous bourbon.

"He's at the bar, the one with the dark hair, dark shirt and a broody glance."

"Holy shit!" Caroline exclaimed. "I know that my man tonight was hot, but damn… that one can do some serious damage!"

"Let's just go."

"Are you sure? Because from what I can see standing over here, he can't keep his eyes off of you."

Elena sensed that Caroline was right about that, with the way shivers ran up and down her spine. She could feel him watching her... and it threw her.

"He's trying to get under my skin. It's what he does.. he's a player, Caroline. Emotionally shutdown and all about the meaningless and fleeting contacts. Now, how about that cab?"

Caroline gave her the once over and frowned. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, since when do you wear leather jackets?"

Elena wanted to curse herself for not giving the jacket back when she walked away from him earlier. This would just be another excuse for them to meet up again. Well, she wasn't having it.

"I'll mail it to him," she said….

* * *

An incessant knocking on her door woke Elena from a restless sleep. It was still dark outside and the moonlight that shone into her bedroom created eerie shadows. Who was out there? The pounding never ceased and she rolled over to check the time; 3.15 a.m.

What in the world?

She carefully slipped into her robe, while her heart pounded. Should she call the police? Damn, she should have let Caroline stay over tonight, but she had said that she would be fine. As she exited her bedroom, the knocking became louder. Maybe, staying inside of her bedroom and not responding would be a better idea. Curiosity was getting the better of her, though. She tiptoed down the stairs and stopped in front of the door that was getting almost manhandled.

"Elena?" she heard someone groaning from outside.

A whoosh of air escaped her as she realized that it was Damon who was standing on her front porch, almost banging her door off of its' hinges.

"Damon! What the hell are you doing out there in the middle of the night!"

"Can you let me in?"

She leaned her hands against the wood of the door, contemplating what to do with the entire situation.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Please, Elena."

Okay, Damon would never beg. This was serious.. was he hurt? Quickly, she unlocked the door and opened it to see a very drunk Damon standing there.

Well, he didn't seem hurt.

"What is it? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Elena almost snapped.

Damon wobbled inside and threw himself down into the cushions of her couch.

"Come in, why don't you," Elena mumbled at this behavior.

She threw the door shut and took a seat across from him, waiting for him to say whatever the hell was so important that he had to interrupt her for it in the middle of the night.

"I can't do it," Damon began.

"Do what?"

"I've got a secret.. a big one and I've… I've never said it out loud. It's not going to change anything, it's not going to make me good or adopt a puppy! I can't be what other people want me to be… what _you_ want me to be. This is who I am, Elena."

Elena shook her head.

"I never said that I wanted you to be anything other than you."

"Oh, but you did. You want me to open up and let you in. You want me to feel and I can't do it, because there's only so much hurt a man can take."

Damon's voice cracked a bit on his last few words and Elena felt her throat tighten. Was this really happening? Was Damon Salvatore unraveling his mystery a little for her?

"I know it's hard, Damon. On some level, I know how you feel. The way I see it, the only way out of pain, is to go through it. Grief is the terrible reminder of how deep our love can go. If we love, we grieve. That's the deal and it's what I was trying to tell you. You've shut yourself down on so many levels that right now, you feel that if you don't love, nothing can hurt you. Life will always come back to bite you in the ass, though. I can guarantee it. If you keep going at the rate that you are, all you will have to show for yourself is that you haven't gotten hurt.. but you also haven't loved. Which basically means, you haven't lived at all."

Damon nodded and stood up, pacing her living room as if he was in debate with himself. Elena watched him for a few minutes, before she stood up.

"Can I get you anything? A glass of water, maybe?"

When he didn't answer, she put her hand on his shoulder in order to stop his relentless restlessness. Before she knew what was happening, he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her into him. His piercing blue eyes bore into hers and she was helpless in his stare. Then, his lips descended onto hers… hard. It was a rough and brutal kiss, almost as if he was punishing her for her words.. for making him feel. Her lips were bruising underneath his assault and she was ready to push at his chest to get him off, when something changed. The kiss became softer… more sincere, and she could hear him groan above her. She opened her mouth to let his tongue in. Damon was fighting her and he was losing.

He pushed her robe off of her shoulders, exposing her tight pajama top underneath. Elena felt her cheeks flush, as she noticed that her nipples were angrily poking through it, betraying her instant arousal. How was it that she could go from being angry with him to feelings of lust within the time span of a few hours. She let him kiss and suck at her neck, a sigh escaping her lips. Her body yielded into him as he pushed her into the wall behind them. Elena put her arms around his neck, feeling how he lifted up her right leg to curl it around his hips. His erection came into direct contact with her soft folds in this position, and even though they were still clothed, it was a friction that blew Elena's mind. He pushed his hips into hers in a slow and sensual rhythm and she felt like she could orgasm just from that movement alone.

"Damon," she breathed. "Slow down. We should… Oh God, stop!"

"Are you all right?" he whispered.

Elena rubbed her face, trying break the web of lust that had spun itself around her.

"Yeah, I mean.. that was… Look, as much as I.. enjoyed that…. We really should hold our horses for a second. You're drunk and upset and we don't want to do anything here that we might regret in the morning. I don't want to be some sort of escape for you.. and sex seems to be just that. You need to sleep it off first and then we can talk."

"Sorry for bothering you in the middle of the night. It won't happen again."

"It's all right. You can sleep on the couch if you want?"

Damon put a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, if that's all right?"

"Of course."

She could get used to this vulnerable side of Damon, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it would wear off as soon as the alcohol left his body. Everyone knew that drunk people told the truth, but a sober Damon wasn't ready to face it.

"I'll see you in the morning."

After those words, she went upstairs, knowing full well that he probably wouldn't be there anymore when she woke up the next morning. Damon had some serious demons to slay before he would face her again.

Sure enough, a few hours later, all she found on her couch was a folded blanket that he had slept under. Everything else that could remind her of him was gone….

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone who encouraged me to continue with this story. As a mom of a 2 year old, I noticed I can barely find the time to sit down and get in tune with my muse. However, this story will go on, because frankly, I've become rather interested in Damon's big secret myself. Hahahaha! I hope you will all continue to read and give me feedback on it. Xoxo, Mardre.**


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was beginning to set as Elena watched people slowly getting out of the water one by one. She was leaning back against a tree, observing everyone milling about. It had been a warm day today and it had seemed as if everyone in Mystic Falls had driven to this lake, that was on the outskirts of the woods. It was a beautiful spot; with trees gathering around the water as if the forest was opening up just for the sake of the lake alone.

Elena leafed through the magazine that was lying on her lap, not ready to follow the rest of the crowd back home. She had been lying in the sun all day and was feeling way too lazy to get up. Her eyes slipped shut every now and then, as she tried to focus on the words that were written in front of her. It was some interview with Elena's favorite writer. When her eyes closed for the tenth time in two minutes, she realized that it was time to get moving.

A sound of someone swimming in the water snapped her out of her lazy glow, and she focused her eyes back on the water. To her shock, it was already dark. Wait. Had she really fallen asleep? How long? What time was it? She fumbled around for her purse, that she had hidden behind the beach towel that she was leaning against. As she retrieved her phone, she was stumped to learn that it was already 10.30 p.m.

The make shift beach that the community had set up for the citizens of Mystic Falls was now completely empty. Right, time to go. It wasn't exactly safe for a woman to be out in the woods alone at this time of night.

As she gathered her belongings, she couldn't help but glance back at the water. Why would that man be swimming alone at this hour? She would understand it if he had a significant other watching him from dry land; the lake was known for couples coming to skinny dip… and more… after dark. This man seemed to have no one watching him, though, save for her... There was something about the way his strong body cleaved through the lapping water that had her fascinated. The moon cast a warm glow on his naked, wet skin. Then, he was headed for the make shift beach. Elena took a few steps back, hiding between the trees a bit more. One part was out of protection, because she had no idea if this man was friendly at this time of night or not. The other part was purely out of the fact that she was completely mesmerized by him. She had no idea why and… HOLY HELL!

Complete and utter shock registered in her brain as she realized two things; one, this man was none other than Damon Salvatore. The other, was that he was completely naked. He didn't seem to have a care in the world as she stood there in the pale moonlight, picking up his towel in slow motion, it seemed. Elena licked her lips as he dried himself off and retrieved his pants. As Damon buttoned up, Elena's foot stepped on a twig that seemed to create enormous sound at that moment. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched his head snap up into her direction. He couldn't see her yet; she was standing behind a large tree.

"Who's there!" he almost barked.

What should she do? Should she show herself and explain that she had fallen asleep? Of course, that didn't justify why she was hiding in the bushes in that moment. Well, she could always make a run for it, but she had an idea that he would be a lot faster than she was. There wasn't much time to debate her two options, since he was already in front of her in the blink of an eye. He had her cornered against the tree behind her, confusion marring his features.

"It's me," she mumbled, holding her hands up in surrender.

His eyes narrowed at her.

"Elena? What are you doing, hiding in the woods?"

At that moment, she wanted to laugh hysterically. Wasn't this ironic, her hiding from him? It usually was the other way around, since she hadn't seen him after he had fessed up about some secret that he had. That was now 5 weeks ago.

"I fell asleep right over there. I just woke up like 5 minutes ago," she explained, pointing towards her belongings a few feet away from them. He seemed to frown at that.

"Okay, but why were you behind a tree then?"

Elena bit her lip and looked down, blushing.

"Honestly? Because I woke up out here all alone and saw a man coming out of the water. It's after dark, Damon, and I guess I freaked out a bit."

There, that was a plausible explanation.

Damon chuckled a bit, giving her this look that gave her heart some serious palpitations.

"That's not funny, Damon! Who comes out here at this hour to go for a swim?!"

"Actually, you wouldn't believe how many couples in love come out here for a swim.. or hot sex."

When he winked at her, she broke out of her stupor and scowled.

"I guess some people do that, yes."

"Not just some people; everyone who has ever been young and in love in Mystic Falls has done it right over here. Don't tell me you haven't."

"I'm not going to discuss sex with you, Salvatore. You know that already," Elena snapped at him.

"You were the one hiding out in the bushes, ogling a naked man."

"I've already explained that to you five seconds ago!"

Damon didn't say anything, instead, he simply gave her this annoying, knowing look.

"Don't give me that look! And stop flirting! I just don't get you, Damon. You put an ulterior motive behind everything that you do. You're hot and you're cold with me; you reveal an inkling of the person you really are and then you clam up again. I don't see you for weeks.. sometimes months even.. and then you put on the seduction again. I don't work like that."

When he still wouldn't say anything, she sighed.

"You're never going to let anyone in, are you? I can't wait around for that. I won't."

With those words, she pushed him away, ready to walk back over towards where her car was parked. Then, his arm shot out to stop her, locking her back in place.

"Do you want me to admit something about myself? Fine. Yes, I want you. I find myself drawn to you. You blow my mind, Elena, in ways that annoy the crap out of me. I haven't been this… fascinated with a woman in a long time."

Elena looked up at him, removing his hand from her upper arm.

"I'm not every other woman, Damon, and I can't be just a fascination. I guess some women would take you up on your offer of sex, because yes; you are a mesmerizing man to look at. But I'm not going to do that."

"I'm not just talking sex, Elena." He zoned in on her and she backed up against the tree behind her a little bit more. "With you, I don't know what to do.. or say… or think, for that matter. All I know is that, when I see you, I want to kiss every square inch of you."

It was so tempting to cross that line.. As Elena felt his breath on her face, all she wanted to do was to bridge those few remaining inches between them and kiss the hell out of him.

"All right," Elena said, licking her suddenly too dry lips. "You want me? Then prove it."

Damon gave her a wicked smile and leaned forward, bringing his lips slowly towards hers.

"Not like that." Elena stopped him before he could indeed kiss her. "Take me out on a date."

"A date?" Damon frowned.

"Yes, pick me up tomorrow night. Take me to a restaurant somewhere and show me a nice time."

He seemed to be thinking about that offer.

"Take it or leave it, Damon. Either way, I'm going home right now and you're not going with me. So, will I be seeing you tomorrow? 6.30 p.m. You know where I live."

With those words, she walked back over towards her car and dumped her belongings in the trunk. He had been a foot behind her all the way, making sure that she got in safely. When she did, she gave him one last look and drove away, shocked with herself about how bold she had been….

* * *

When the clock stuck 6.30 the next night, she was almost afraid that he wouldn't come. As she glanced out of her window at the empty street in front of her house, her stomach dropped. He was bailing on her… disappearing yet again. Last night, she had felt like she had won a round with him, now it felt like she was losing the whole thing. Annoyed with herself for getting her hopes up, she stomped up the stairs, ready to take her black cocktail dress off. Then, the doorbell rang and she almost flew towards the front door.

"Good evening, Elena. You look sensational."

Elena was still trying to come out of her shocked daze of actually having him show up. "Uhm.. thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

He was dressed in dark jeans and a matching John Varvados shirt to boot. To say that he looked sexy was an understatement.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, where are we going?"

"That's a surprise."

Damon helped her into his car and off they went. When they arrived at an abandoned looking building twenty minutes later, Elena frowned. What the…?

"Do you have the wrong address or something?" she asked.

He simply chuckled and opened the car door for her.

"Just wait."

As they stepped inside, it still didn't seem like much to her. The place was dark and deserted. Then, they rounded a corner and everything changed. There were small lights that set up a romantic atmosphere; a round table that had been set was standing in the middle of the small space they were in and a waiter was waiting in the corner for them with a trey that held two flutes of champagne.

Damon pulled back a chair for her and she sat down, her mouth almost hanging open.

"I'm impressed, I must say. What is this, a private dining room?"

Damon nodded.

"This building is owned by the Salvatores to do with as we please. I rang up some connections."

"Well done," Elena said, as she accepted the champagne from the waiter.

"Tonight, as a starter, we'll be serving tartar di salmone marinato. The main course is filetto a parmigiano and the desert will be a wonderful dame bianca. Do you have any special needs that we can take into consideration?"

Elena stared a the waiter somewhat dumbfounded.

"Uhm, no thank you."

Damon leaned back in his chair and gave her an amused smile.

"So… does this prove anything to you?"

"Ha ha, slow down, Salvatore. Tell me a bit about yourself."

She watched as his playful smiled disappeared again. "I think we've covered everything there is to know in your interview, didn't we?"

"No, my interview was about your family, not about you."

"It's the same difference, really," Damon shrugged.

Elena bit her lip and looked up at him from underneath her lashes, feeling like she was never cracking this shell.

"Don't do that," he suddenly rumbled.

"Do what?"

"Bite your lip and then give me that look with your doe eyes. I will instantly forget the rules you laid out last night and take you right here on this table."

Elena's heart skipped a beat with those words, but she chose to ignore it. She looked down at her plate again, willing herself to get a grip. Yes, he was sexy. Yes, he was a master at seduction, but no, she wasn't giving him anything until he gave a little bit of himself to her. She could feel his eyes burning a whole into her and she smiled, before looking back up at him.

"Do you want me to start? Okay, I'll go first. I was actually living the all American dream life, when my parents died: I was doing great in college, with perfect friends and a perfect boyfriend. I had my heart set out on becoming a writer and then everything blew up in my face. I was left to take care of my little brother, who didn't fare so well at that point in his life. I constantly had to worry about his sustenance abuse and I flat out struggled. But, here I am, working for the Mystic Falls Gazette and both me and my brother are doing very well. I'm actually quite proud of that."

"So you're a fighter," Damon stated.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"And what happened to the all American perfect boyfriend?"

Elena chuckled at that. Of course, out of everything that she had said, that's what he had picked up on.

"The boyfriend and I broke up."

"Oh.. I'd say I'm sorry, but…"

Damon let the words hang in the air and Elena shook her head.

"You're not, I know. Now… it's your turn."

"I'm really not that interesting. I grew up in Mystic Falls, I took over my father's company and I _still_ live in Mystic Falls. That's about it."

Damon leaned back in his chair in a casual matter and folded his hands behind his head.

"What about your brother?"

"What about my brother?"

"Yeah, why did he move, if he's still involved in the business, isn't that inconvenient?"

Elena's heart was pounding, hoping for him to reveal something about himself.

"Stefan is old enough to do what he wants. As long as he checks in every now and then, I don't keep tabs on him"

This was going to be very difficult and Elena wanted to roll her eyes. God, he was so formal and politically correct in all of his answers!

"What about you and your father? Were you two close?"

She could see Damon snorting from across the table and instantly knew that she had struck a nerve.

"I would say that he was closer to Stefan."

"Oh… "

The starters were being served and Elena leaned back to give the waiter some space, all the while glancing at Damon. She could sense some bad blood between him and his father.. she just didn't want to press too hard about that piece of information. Of course, now with two major topics to avoid; his father and his wife, it left her feeling a bit like she was walking on egg shells.

"What were you like as a little boy?"

"Uhm.. a bit wild, I guess. I was always off scraping my knees and falling out of trees and what not.. Also, there was a lot of mischief. The sheriff actually brought me home once when I was 10, after I had perfectly mummified her car."

Elena laughed at that. She could picture him as a wild child, always getting into trouble.

"She actually hated me even more when I started going out with her daughter at the age of 16."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it didn't help matters that I moved on from her daughter after only a few months. She made it her business to find some way to make my life a living hell; she pulled me over for speeding, when I was driving just above the speed limit and what not."

"Well, I guess I already knew that you're the kind of man mothers warn their daughters about."

Damon looked straight into Elena's eyes, chewing around a mouthful of salmon tartar.

"If you know that already, why are you still here then?"

His eyes seemed to bore a hole into her as she fidgeted in her seat. Yes, why was she here?

"Because," she said coolly, trying to act aloof, "You're quite the interesting man for a writer; you're elusive, but your company stands out all over town."

"You already know everything there is to know about my company, Elena."

"I do, but I want to know more about you."

"Why?"

"Why? Why not?" Elena retorted.

"Because I already told you about who I am when it comes to relationships and you've already said that you don't want to be in an arrangement like the one I suggested."

Elena sighed and ran a hand through her hair, feeling a bit irritated. God, he was back to being his obnoxious, evasive self!

"If that is true, Damon, then why are we here, indeed? You didn't have to go through all of this trouble of taking me on this date. You could have left things the way they were last night and not pick me up at all."

Damon stayed silent for a moment after that. He seemed to be thinking things over.

"Touché," he finally admitted.

When the main course arrived, Elena finally had the courage to ask the one question that had been plaguing her ever since she had met him: "What happened to you, Damon?"

He gave her a puzzled look.

"You seem… Forgive me for saying this… cold and detached when it comes to the relationships in your life. Everything is carefully calculated… considered.."

"That's usually the way people do business, Elena."

"Business.. yes… But… Fine, just let it go. I won't badger you so much anymore."

The rest of the night turned out quite pleasant, actually. Elena steered clear of questions about Damon's father of wife, but other than that, they had talked about everything; from his precious Camaro to his days in High School and College. When they walked up towards her front porch, Elena could actually say that she had had a nice time.

"So Jeremy lives close by, huh? And he keeps in touch with you?" Damon asked, as Elena fidgeted with her keys a little.

"Yeah, we're on good terms. He's even dating one of my two best friends."

"He's so lucky to have you for a sister."

Elena smiled warmly at him. "Thank you."

"No problem."

"And thank you, for this night. I actually had a very pleasant evening."

Damon laughed a bit at that. "You sound surprised. Were you sure that I was going to screw it up, or something?"

"Well…"

"Gee, thanks."

Elena laughed as well, feeling like they could finally talk to each other without all of the tense atmosphere.

"Really, Damon. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Goodnight."

When he kissed her cheek, Elena couldn't believe that he was actually being a courteous gentleman and not immediately swooping in for something else. When he came back up to face her, he searched her eyes for permission to do a bit more. She couldn't bring herself to object and he quietly descended his lips towards hers.

The kiss was so careful and tender, that her knees felt like buckling. It brought forth so much more emotions than every other kiss she had ever shared with him; they had been filled with lust. This was… something else. It felt like a surge of electricity shot through every fiber of her being. Her hands grabbed his shoulders for support as their lips slowly teased each other. His tongue hadn't even tasted hers yet and she felt like spontaneously combusting. Her heart slammed against her ribcage as a groan escaped her.

She could feel his breath on her as his lips glided over hers with such gentleness, that she wanted to weep. Then, he finished the kiss with one last peck.

When Elena opened her eyes, she saw the look on his face. He had felt it as well: the connection, the passion and excitement that had created a slow-burn between them. There were conflicting emotions crossing his face and Elena understood what was happening. Damon Salvatore didn't do feelings… for anyone… and then with that one kiss he did.

It was the most scary thing to realize that she was falling in love. Hard. Time would tell if that proved to be a fatal mistake….

**A/N: Hey you all! Wow, what a kiss, huh? So, where does this leave them? Will Damon run back towards his safe haven that is called the Salvatore boarding house and continue being the detached man that he is? Or will he admit that something is happening between him and Elena? I hope that you will keep on reading to find out! Thank you all for your support! **

**Special thanks to Carol (scarlet2112) for mentioning this story in her amazing writings. You are the sweetest!**


	6. Chapter 6

"_What are your plans for next weekend?"_

That was the last thing Elena had heard from Damon after their date last Saturday. He had texted her on his own accord, which caused her to almost drop the device on site when she had seen that it was him. Whoa, the man actually knew how to get in touch with someone! And with a phone no less! However, she couldn't get too excited, because with Damon you never knew what the deal was.

She had answered him that she didn't have any specific plans yet. After that he had sent her a winking emoticon…. Yes, Damon Salvatore used emoticons…. adding more shock to the mix.

That text was sent on Monday and it was now Friday. No word afterwards about why he had asked her about her plans and if he intended to meet up with her. Maybe it was time to throw in the towel; it was probably done for; she had rolled the dice with a man whom she knew had a hard time with love and everything that came with it and lost. She figured that it was time to move on.

"So, any exciting plans now that the weekend is starting?" one of her co-workers, April, asked her.

Elena rubbed her eyes tiredly and sighed.

"Nothing interesting. Both Bonnie and Caroline have significant others nowadays, so I guess it's just me and a big bowl of potato chips come Saturday night."

"Both of them, huh? So you're like the third wheel now?" April joked.

"Yeah… Caroline was unexpected, though. I could always count on her to be my wingman when it came to the single life. A few weeks ago, we went clubbing and she encountered someone. It was love at first sight, I believe."

April grabbed her purse from behind her desk, getting ready to call it a day. Elena decided to do the same.

"I don't believe in that stuff. Lust at first sight, sure. But to fall head over heels in love with someone you barely know.. I don't know."

"Maybe I shouldn't call it love at first sight, then. Let's just say that sometimes, this very rare occasion happens where you lay eyes on someone and there's this instant attraction and connection that you just can't shake. "

Elena followed April down the corridor that would lead them outside to start their weekend.

"Sounds like you've experienced it yourself, Elena. Now I'm curious… who is he?"

"He's…. a little too difficult for me to handle. I've decided that I need a kind, open and easygoing man in my life. This man is everything but that."

"Wasn't it you who said that you wanted passion, adventure and a little danger in your men?" April told her with a smile.

Elena shook her head.

"I know what I said before. Little did I know. It's just not worth the risk."

"What risk?"

"The risk of losing both my head and my heart…"

As they both set foot outside of the building, Elena suddenly froze. Her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment and her jaw dropped to the concrete below her. Leaning casually against his Chevrolet Camaro, looking incredibly sexy in his business suit and obviously waiting for her to get off work, was none other than Damon Salvatore. He was giving her this unreadable half-smile. What the…?

"Oh my god…," April breathed next to her. "Is that…? No way!"

Elena ignored her and regained control of her senses, putting one foot in front of the other. She crossed her arms in front of her as she reached him, trying to keep her cool.

"What are you doing here?"

He did that infamous eye-thing of his and Elena could feel this annoying flutter in her belly. She raised her chin in defiance, ready to protect herself from him.

"I came to pick you up. I want to take you somewhere."

"Take me somewhere?"

"Yep. It's a surprise. Will you come with me?"

"Come with you?"

Elena realized that she sounded stumped, but that's exactly what she was… stumped… floored…

"Are you going to repeat every question that I ask you?"

"I might. You do realize that you're totally catching me off guard, right?"

Damon threw back his head and laughed.

"That's kind of the thing with surprises, Elena."

"Yeah but… I don't hear from you for days and now this. I thought that…"

"What" Damon asked carefully. "That I was going to call it when it comes to you and me?"

Elena raised her eyebrows at him, before finally letting a little smile break out on her face. "You and me?"

"Get in the car, Elena."

"Well, am I going to be safe with you?"

Her tone had switched from surprise and suspicion towards playful, and he knew that she was teasing him.

"Yes."

"Can I trust you?"

Damon nodded his head towards the car, indicating that he wanted her to get in, which she did.

April was still standing on the sidewalk as they drove away, looking even more surprised than Elena had been when she had spotted Damon waiting for her. April probably recognized him, as everyone in Mystic Falls knew who the Salvatores were. Of course, everyone in town also knew that Damon barely showed his face. Elena knew there was a lot of explaining to be done when she came back to work on Monday morning….

* * *

When they pulled up to a very large, log cabin about a bit later, Elena could certainly say that this was indeed a surprise. The cabin had a very romantic feel to it, with lights from inside glowing brightly, lighting up the surroundings.

"What is this place?"

Damon got out and walked around the car, quickly opening her door for her.

"This has been in the family for years. I loved to come here as a little kid, as it's so secluded in the woods."

"Yeah, I can imagine."

Elena followed him up the stairs to the front porch and waited for him to get inside. When they did, her eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets. The cabin had a massive living room with a very old fireplace in it, but what really made it exquisite, were the floor-to-ceiling windows that created a perfect view of the woods around them.

"Your family certainly knew their way around good housing, didn't they? I already thought the boarding house was to die for, but this is something else!"

"It's a fairly reasonable place, yes," Damon joked. "Come on, let me show you the rest."

The kitchen was light and grand, with a large island in the middle. Of course, the windows also proved to be doing their work in there as well. If you stood at the sink, you could catch a view of a small pond that was a few yards away.

"Okay, Damon, as much as I appreciate you wanting to surprise me, don't you think that this is a bit much for a second date?"

Damon took off his jacket and opened up the first few buttons of his shirt, showing off a hint of his chest in his wake.

"I don't know… is it? It's been a while since I've gone beyond a first date," he said with a wink.

Elena shook her head and smiled.

"Look, the reason I took you here is because it's been a big part of my life in the past. I thought that we could talk… while I make you dinner."

"Really, you're going to cook?"

"I'm still of Italian heritage, Elena. I would be defying my legacy if I didn't know how to at the very least make a good pasta."

Elena took her place at the kitchen island and leaned forward on her elbows.

"You're just full of surprises these days, aren't you? I'm impressed… really, but you didn't have to take us all this way in order to cook for me. The boarding house would have been just fine."

"Yeah well, I hate that house, Elena. I'm aware of the fact that the residents of Mystic Falls complain about never seeing me around. This is the reason… I'm often here. I keep the boarding house as my address, but this.. this is home."

He fell quiet after that admission and Elena looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed about taunting him about this cabin. It was obviously very important to him.

"So," she started, trying to lighten the suddenly intense mood. "Pasta, huh? Who taught you how to cook?"

Damon began to rummage around a few cabinets, picking things out of them left and right.

"My mother, actually. The Italian gene pool comes from my father's side, but my mother proved to be a true Italian mama. I was always interested to see what she was doing in the kitchen, peeking over the countertop and what not."

Elena felt a warm sensation spreading out in her belly at the thought of him as young boy, leaning up against his mother's skirts. It made her all the more curious why an enthusiastic little Damon would become so cold and callous… and distant in the future. She knew that his mother had died at some point and that he and his father didn't get along that well. Then, the older Salvatore had died as well.. There had to be a reason why he had closed off completely after that. Or was it due to Katherine?

She watched him with interest as he began to chop up some vegetables. No man had ever had an impact on her like did. What was it about him? Was it indeed that air of mystery and secrecy around him? She still felt like she knew nothing about him and yet, here she was… in the lion's den, so to speak. Being here could probably be very dangerous to her already developing feelings for him.

"So if this is your home… and you hate the boarding house… why do you always have everyone come over there? I mean, you work from there.. you did our interview from there…"

"Because," Damon answered, keeping his back towards her. "the boarding house is an easier location when you want to deal with Mystic Falls residents. This is too remote. Besides, my home is mine and mine alone. I don't need a whole lot of people knowing that I reside here."

Elena nodded.

"Okay, I get that. But then why bring your dates here if you don't want people to know about this place?"

"I don't bring my dates here. You're the only one, actually."

Damon chose that moment to turn around and look at her intently. Elena was glad that she was sitting down, because she felt this jolt coursing through her body as he stared at her. Her heart pounded with his answer. What did that mean when he said that she was the only one? No one had ever been in here, then? Besides him and his family? No woman after Katherine had ever seen the inside of these walls before? What did that mean?! She didn't want to hope… She didn't want to think that she was breaking though his shell, because with men like him, it usually wasn't the case.

Still, butterflies fluttered when he broke his intense stare to smile at her and she couldn't help the beaming grin that spread out across her face. Hell, she really was falling in love with him! The realization of that made her want to jump up and head out the front door. Her eyes darted around, looking for an escape, like a deer that was caught in headlights.

"Do you want to leave?"

Damon had obviously seen the looks that she was giving the front door. He crossed his arms in front of him, searching her face for an answer.

"No… "

"You seem a bit uneasy."

Elena looked down and bit her lip.

"I just… I don't trust myself with you."

"Do you feel like you need to trust yourself, then?"

"I do." She returned his stare dead on this time. "You do realize that you gave me a proposition not too long ago, right? Now, we're here in this secluded place and I just don't know.."

"You don't know if my intentions are right about this?" Damon walked over to where she was sitting and leaned against the kitchen island. "I know I've been a dick with the way I proposed to handle things between us, but you also know I've always been honest with you about where I stand. Look, this is very new to me as well. I've told you that somehow, I can't seem to stop thinking about you and because of that, I'm willing to go beyond my boundaries to explore what this could be. If you want slow, I'll take it slow. If you want to leave after dinner, then I'll drive you right back. I didn't bring you here in order to drag you up to my bedroom, you have my word on that."

"All right," Elena breathed. "Thank you."

Damon gave her his trademark half-smile. "Now, can we please get back to dinner….?"

To say that Damon was a good cook was an understatement. When he had stated that he knew how to cook up some pasta, she had expected it to be okay… It was actually pretty sensational stuff that hit her taste buds. She was enjoying the evening and felt herself relax.

It was in that moment that he first talked about Katherine.

"Katherine was.. complicated, let me tell you. She was beautiful, yes… a lot like you in that department, but she could also be selfish and at times not very kind. But yeah, she was very sexy and seductive."

"It must have been so hard to lose her like that."

"When the call came, I froze. It's ironic how life can change our course sometimes, and with its' course it changes who we are."

"So is that why you've become so..."

"So.. what? Sexy?"

Elena stuck her tongue out at his joke.

"You know what I meant to say. Sometimes, it's like a ton of bricks is weighing on your shoulders."

Damon got up from the table and began to clean up. The window to his past was obviously closing up again and Elena sighed. Was she ever going to get in?

"I simply decided to focus on work, Elena. There are no bricks weighing anywhere."

Elena followed him to the sink, taking her plate with her. She handed it over to him and eyed him curiously.

"What about you and Stefan? Are you two still close? I mean, I know that you told me that he checks in every now and then."

She watched as his jaw clenched up a bit.

"Sadly, no."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that."

Damon shook his head. "Don't be. Any chance of us becoming close had already been nixed with our father's difference in behavior towards us, but then Stefan had to go and make it worse when my wife died."

"What do you mean?"

"My little brother was so upset about her passing. I didn't think too much of it at first, as they had been close. Then, he finally spilled the beans; he had been in love with Katherine and she had just begun to reciprocate when she died."

Elena blanched.

"What? Katherine was returning his feelings?"

"Yep. In the very biblical sense of the word."

Well that was just harsh; to find out something like that right after Katherine had died. Elena began to understand a little why Damon had issues with trust.

"That's just not okay. So Katherine actually caused a rift between you two?"

"Katherine wasn't the one who caused the rift, Elena."

Something flashed in Damon's eyes and that's when she saw it. The same look had shown up on his face when he had come to her place drunk and upset; pure and absolute guilt. Guilt about something that made him seem to think like he wasn't a good man, as he had proclaimed back then. His secret was something beyond Katherine and his brother. Damon shutting down happened long before his wife died; his brother's betrayal with her was just something that had finally pushed him over the edge…

She could see the inner turmoil in his eyes; it was bubbling up inside of him, ready to pour out. Then, he turned around and returned to cleaning up as if nothing had happened.

It was too soon, Elena knew that. Damon was layered and she needed to peal them back one by one in order to get to the root of him. She now knew that she was willing to wait for that…

A little bit later, Elena was standing in front of the large windows in the living room, glancing outside into the woods. The moon gave the trees a surreal glow and she smiled. This place was like heaven.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Damon's voice interrupted her musings.

Elena glanced at the clock on the wall, which indicated that it was just after 11 p.m. Whoa, time had gone by so fast! Of course, his question hung in the air and Elena thought about it. The smart thing to do was to say 'yes.' The other part of her just didn't want the evening to be over yet.

"Not yet," she breathed.

Damon walked over to where she was standing and trailed a finger down her spine, stopping at the dimple just above her bottom. A shiver ran through her as she turned around to face him. Then, he kissed her. Elena felt herself groan as his tongue found hers, gently teasing her. The teasing quickly turned heated, though, when he pushed her back against the window behind her. The cool glass was a nice sensation against her heated skin.

Damon released her to kiss her neck, before continuing down towards her chest. That's when she stopped him and pulled him back up to her face.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Too fast. Okay, I'm going to do something that I haven't done before; I'm going to take you back to your place. Then, I'm going to call you tomorrow to make plans for our next date."

Elena's mouth almost fell open at that.

"Yeah, I know. So unlike me, right?" Damon laughed. "Now, get your coat and head for the front door, before I change my mind."

It was like every answer to her questions; the fact that he wanted to take her home proved that she was beginning to become more than just a mere attraction for him. He wanted to see her again and get to know her. Her heart was beginning to hope that falling for him was indeed going to be worth it…

**A/N: Hi, you all! Thank you all so much for your reviews and I'm sorry that I didn't get to reply to everyone. I promise I'll do better next time **** It's just that time has been so limited these days. My 2-year-old is having issues with sleeping, ergo I'm sincerely sleep deprived. Therefore, writing has proved to be a real challenge. As soon as my daughter finally falls asleep, I tend to pass out as well. Writing took a backseat, as you can imagine. It's just a faze, as they all say. I'm sure that by the time she's 14 or 15, we'll have to drag her out of bed at 2 p.m. Hahaha! Please let me know if you liked this chapter! Xoxo, Mardre.**


	7. Chapter 7

Elena flipped over in bed for the millionth time that night, finding it impossible to sleep. The air was hot and humid around her, while the temperature outside was still a mesmerizing 73 degrees at 1 a.m. It was insane how Mystic Falls had been hit with a heat wave in the time span of a few days. She wondered if Damon was spending this ridiculously hot night at the boarding house or at his house in the woods.

The thought of him made her smile; he had made genuine progress with her, and while he remained a bit closed up about his past, on other counts he was beginning to show her who he was underneath all that hard exterior.

People around her were beginning to get curious about them; when she had come back to work after their date in the woods, she did find herself having to explain what she was doing with Damon Salvatore, as she had expected she would have to do.

"_Why haven't you told us that you began to date him after your interview with him?" _April had spluttered.

"'_Date' is such a big word, April. We're simply getting to know each other."_

_April threw her hands up in the air. _

"_No one 'gets to know' Damon Salvatore, Elena. Come on! Did something happen during that interview? I never expected a thing when I read it."_

Before Elena had known what was happening, the entire office seemed to be gathered around her, trying to get details about her and Damon. She never really gave them anything, though.

"_Oh, the two of you are dating, all right. You're beginning to get as evasive as he is!" _

Elena had simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

Bonnie and Caroline had been the exact same way, trying to pry for information about how things were going. She had left things up in the air with them as well. For now, Elena wanted to remain in her private bubble with him. The world would have to wait. They had gone on four dates now and things were actually going really well. She didn't want to mess that up. They hadn't even slept together yet!

The clock now read 2 a.m. and Elena sighed irritably. Sleeping didn't seem to be in the cards tonight. She sat up in bed and picked up her phone. Out of pure boredom, she began to send Damon a text. Not that she expected him to reply or anything. Phones still weren't his thing. It had taken him 36 hours to call her about another date after she had left his house in the woods. That was just the way that he was.

_This heat is absolutely stifling and I just can't sleep! I hope you're doing better over there._

After she had pressed 'send,' she put the phone back on her nightstand, never expecting a reply. When the mobile device lit up after a few minutes, her eyes widened.

_Sleep wise, I'm not doing much better. I'm working. _

Elena grabbed hold of her cell again with a smile on her face.

_Working? Really? At this hour? _

_What else is there to do in this heat, _Damon texted back.

_Touché. I understand why you're not going to Carol Lockwood's party tomorrow. In this heat, no amount of make-up and hairspray will hold it all together. _

Carol Lockwood.. The mayor's wife. She was throwing her annual summer party tomorrow and basically, everyone within city borders was invited to it. As a Mystic Falls resident, you were almost obligated to go and make an appearance. Of course, Damon hadn't attended any of her parties even once.

_Oh, is that tomorrow? Yeah, I'll pass._

_I figured,_ Elena typed.

She had really wanted to take Damon there… make it sort of their fifth date. But he wasn't having any it and promised to take their date somewhere else in a few days. Of course, now she would have to go through what she went through at that party every year; shameless matchmaking. Carol's parties always required a 'plus one' and she had failed to deliver on that part for the past few years. Every year, it was the same thing; '_You and Matt Donovan were so good together, Elena. What happened? My son is also single. Maybe the two of you could go out together sometime.._' Ugh!

Suddenly, her cell phone rang. It was Damon, obviously done with texting.

"Hey," Elena whispered.

"_You know, you could skip that whole shindig at the Lockwoods and come over to my place."_

"Don't tempt me. I can't. Carol asked me to announce this year's Miss Mystic Falls."

She could hear Damon howling with laughter on the other end.

"_That's still a thing? A pageant?"_

"I used to be Miss Mystic Falls once, Damon."

"_Yeah, but that was ages ago.."_

"Hey!" Elena barked into the phone. "That was _not_ ages ago! It seems more like yesterday."

"_I hate to break it to you, but that wasn't yesterday, baby."_

She was getting so annoyed with his attitude towards Miss Mystic Falls that she almost missed him calling her 'baby.' He had probably just said it as a way of underlining his joke, but still… her heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah, yeah. Thank you very much. You do realize that you're quite a bit older than me, right?"

"_Quite a bit? You sucked at math when you were young, right?"_

"Hardly," Elena huffed. "To your average teenager, you would be referred to as a middle-aged man, Damon."

"_Middle-aged?! You know, Elena, I really need to get back to work right now. It was really nice talking to you."_

Elena keeled over with laughter when he actually hung up. She loved that they were able to have this playful banter now. He seemed to relax a bit around her.

_Goodnight, workaholic, _she texted him.

_Goodnight, Elena. Have fun at your party tomorrow….._

* * *

For the life of her, Elena didn't know why Carol Lockwood always insisted on keeping these parties in her garden, where the sun was blazing down on them full force. Her black cocktail dress seemed to cling to her skin in an uncomfortable way, with sweat trickling down her back. Of course, the men had it worse; they had to wear suits for the occasion. Grabbing hold of her impeller, Elena felt thirsty and a bit faint.

"Carol realizes there's a heat wave going on, right? Why not move this whole thing inside, where we have climate control?" Caroline complained.

"Because every year, Carol wants to show off her expensive shrubs and plants. I hear she pays a hefty sum to her gardener, right before everything needs to be in order for this party."

Elena nodded.

"Bonnie is right. Look at it from the bright side, though; there's parasols throughout the garden to create enough shade and there are water taps everywhere. Besides, you can go inside if it gets too much for you. She's left a part of her house open to the public."

"Which is where our men have run of to," Caroline giggled a bit. "We've landed the good ones, Bonnie. These men are so… I mean, look around here."

"I am. Half of these men are your exes, Caroline," Bonnie joked.

"Hey! Not funny!"

"Just stating some facts."

"Ugh! Changing the subject here; how's Damon, Elena?"

"Subtle, Care. Real subtle."

Caroline threw her hands up in the air.

"Well, I'm curious. The man is drop dead gorgeous and nobody really knows a thing about him. Spill it, Elena!"

"When I've got something to say, I'll say it. For now, we're having fun together," Elena shrugged.

"Fun? What does that mean? Are you two having sex?"

Bonnie spit out her water with Caroline's blunt question, while Elena just shook her head. That was Caroline for you; straight to the point.

"We're not."

"You… Wait… You're not having sex with him?"

"Nope."

Elena looked down, blushing a bit with the topic of their conversation.

"Oh my… Elena… look at your face.. you really like each other, don't you? I mean, if you're willing to wait for each other.."

"Yeah, well…."

Caroline squealed, jumping up and down on her high heels.

"Careful, Caroline. You don't want to fall on your ass in front of the Lockwoods," Bonnie laughed at her friend's antics.

"Oh, let me have my moment! Besides, with what you told me about Damon's proposition not too long ago… I guess every now and then, people can surprise you."

Music began to play and a crowd gathered around a makeshift dancefloor, indicating that the pageant was starting. Elena searched for a good spot to get an overall overview of the couples, when she spotted something from the corner of her eye.

It couldn't be… right? Her vision was certainly clouded from the heat, for standing a few feet away from her… amongst Carol Lockwood's guests… was no one other than Damon. Damon in a tux… making a public appearance. What the hell? His gaze seemed to travel across the crowd until his eyes found hers.

"Every now and then, people surprise you…yes," she breathed to no one in particular.

Elena could feel her skin break out in goosebumps with the intensity of his stare in that moment. Damn.

"Oh my god, is that Damon?" Caroline questioned next to her. "Holy shit!"

Elena's friend wasn't the only one who took notice of him standing there; people were beginning to whisper and point. To Damon and Elena, though, it was only the two of them. He was flirting with her.. using that eye-thing that he always did to his full advantage. Elena could feel butterflies dancing around in her stomach and was unable to keep a grin from forming on her face. He had shown up… for her…

"Well… that is some serious eye sex right there, Elena," Caroline went on next to her.

When the dance was over, Damon gave Elena one last smile, before coming over. He ignored people trying to talk to him and made it straight over towards her.

"Damon.. what are you doing here?" Elena whispered, slightly out of breath from being in shock.

"Well, from what I heard, there was this beautiful woman in need of a date to this incredibly boring party."

When he kissed her cheek in front of all those people there, Elena felt dizzy. Did he realize what he was doing?

"Damon, people are going to talk about this, you know?" she pointed out to him.

He simply shrugged.

"Let them talk."

"Damon Salvatore? Such an honor to have you come. Welcome," Carol Lockwood immediately rushed over towards them.

"Thanks for having me."

"This is actually such a good thing, because my husband has been trying to get a hold of you for some time now. He wants to talk to you about this building that.."

"That is not why I'm here, Carol. I'm here to enjoy your party," Damon interrupted her. "Your husband may call my office this Monday. I'll be sure to answer him."

"Of course," Carol spluttered. "Have a wonderful time."

"Thank you, I'm sure I will."

Elena shook her head with a smile at his casual and cool behavior.

"You do realize that you've basically interrupted the mayor's wife and told her to get lost, right?"

"I was polite about it. So, how about a dance with a former Miss Mystic?"

"Uhm, sure."

She placed her hand in his and he guided her out onto the dance floor. Elena could still see her friends on the sideline gaping at them and she smiled. She knew exactly how they felt; she was still somewhat dumbfounded by him showing up here herself. As he placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her close, she could feel the electricity zapping between them. His gaze was fixed solely on her as he began to lead them.

"Just when I think that I'm beginning to figure you out somewhat, you pull something like this. What made you change your mind about coming here?" Elena questioned him.

"Well, like I said; you were in need of a date. From what you told me about this event, the Mystic Falls society has too much time on their hands when it comes to you not bringing someone with you as your date. I came to save you from that," Damon told her, giving her a wink.

"Ah, so basically, you came to stake your claim?"

The question was left up in the air as Damon gave her a mysterious smile. Elena chose to leave it that; he was already setting new boundaries for her. She wasn't about to push him.

The party seemed to go on forever as Elena waited for the moment that she could announce the next Miss Mystic Falls. She really wanted to get out of there and spend some alone time with Damon. That wasn't happening here, since he had created quite the buzz by coming to one of Mystic Falls' most crowded parties. Also, the heat was getting to her.

"I'm going to the restroom to splash some water on my face," Elena told Damon, dying to be able to get inside. Her skin almost breathed a sigh of relief when the cooler air of the inside climate control hit her. She quickly headed for the restrooms and locked the door behind her for some privacy. She then turned on the faucets.

"Elena, are you okay in there?" Damon's voice could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, just cooling off somewhat."

"Would you mind terribly if I joined you? I'm in need of an escape from the twenty-questions that's been going on outside."

Elena chuckled.

"You going to have to forgive them, Damon. You've been a complete mystery to them for the past decade of two."

"So? You don't hear me being this interested in _their_ life."

"Ha ha!"

"Please, Elena. Let me in for five minutes, will you?"

Elena shook her head and finally unlocked the door for him. He quickly rushed inside and locked it again.

"Damn, it's like a lion's den out there," Damon complained.

Elena turned her back towards him to splash some water on her face.

"Now you're just overreacting."

"I'm not. Have you seen those women out there?"

"I have. They're probably just wondering why you've never called them afterwards," Elena joked, sticking her tongue out at him in the reflection of the mirror in front of her. He zoned in on her, coming to stand directly behind her.

"I'm aware of my reputation, Elena, but I have not slept with the entire Mystic Falls community here. Richmond, maybe, but not Mystic Falls."

Damon placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her against the vanity.

Elena laughed at his antics and caught his eyes in the mirror.

"So you're willing to admit to sleeping around in Richmond, but not Mystic Falls? That's peculiar."

"Well, I'm a peculiar man."

"Now _that_, I'm very aware of. Now, could you please give me some space?"

"No," Damon smirked. "I've got you right where I want you."

When he thrust his pelvis forward ever so gently into the softness of her rear, Elena bit her lip to stifle a moan.

"You do realize that we're standing in the mayor's bathroom, right?"

Damon leaned began to press baby kisses to the side of her neck, making her squirm a bit.

"So? All the more exciting, right?"

Then, his hands easily lifted up the hem of her cocktail dress. Elena shivered a bit, part of it having to do with the rush of air that suddenly hit her thighs. The other part, however, had everything to do with the desire that began to course through her body. Her nipples erected on cue, when Damon slid his lips against a spot just below her hairline.

She eyed him in the mirror as he sent her a heated gaze.

"Oh, you're good," she whispered.

"I know."

His fingers left a trail of goosebumps in their wake as they carefully ran up and down the outside of her upper legs. Then, they made their way towards the inside, brushing up against the side of her panties.

"I don't think that.."

Elena immediately forgot what she wanted to say when he interrupted her. "Stop talking," he told her. Which she did. He then angled her head so he could kiss her.

Elena grasped at the vanity in front of her as his tongue plunged into her mouth. Damn, he really was something else! No one had ever been able to turn her into a puddle of mush in a matter of minutes. She groaned as his tongue battled hers for dominance, while his fingers began to dance teasingly across her mound.

"Damon…"

"Shhh."

A single digit slipped inside her panties and began to circle her clit. Elena could feel the muscles in her thighs flex and unflex with how good it felt and she wanted nothing more than to come apart in this man's arms. She came closer and closer as his finger slid inside of her folds and his palm pressed against her nub. Her breathing became labored and she could feel her heart thumping in her chest. With the speed and force of a small hurricane, she had her orgasm faster than she could have ever anticipated. Damon then quickly pressed his lips to hers to swallow her moans, before they could travel out into the hallway.

"At the risk of sounding cheesy, that was pretty amazing," she breathed afterwards.

Damon smirked at her, completely confident with himself.

"Okay, let's get out of here before they miss us," he said.

Elena raised her eyebrows at him.

"Don't you….?" She let her sentence trail off.

"No, not in here. This was for fun, but when I finally have you completely and all the way, I want to take my time to enjoy every single moment of it. No rush. No one to interrupt us. Just us."

"And you said that you didn't have a romantic bone in your body once," Elena smiled.

"I don't. Not really. But when I make love to you, I want it to be thorough and not half-baked."

"You said 'making love.'"

Elena couldn't help but tease him and she laughed at the annoyed look on his face.

"You're incorrigible. Come on, let's go."

* * *

Elena felt butterflies dance nervously in her stomach as they pulled up to the boarding house a little while later. The party was over, they had made their pleasantries and had called it a day. She knew what was going to happen now and she was ready. With the simple act of showing up today, he had proved to her that he cared about her enough to overstep his own boundaries.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, you don't want to go home or something?" Damon asked her one last time.

"I'm sure," she said with a smile.

He opened up the car door for her and together, they walked up towards the front door. When they got inside, something was off. Elena could feel it the moment they stepped over the threshold; there was loud music playing somewhere and a suitcase was casually thrown in the corner at the base of the stairwell. Someone was here.

Damon turned rigid beside her as he seemed to recognize the suitcase, and Elena could feel him becoming the cold and detached man again in two seconds flat. He seemed to be almost growling low in his throat.

"Damon?" she whispered, worriedly. "What's…..?"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence, cause in that moment a blonde-haired man stepped into their line of vision with a sour smile on his face.

"Hello, brother…"

**A/N: Sooo, I've decided to be a good little tease and have them go at it just a little bit before shit hits the fan, so the speak…because Stefan showing up is bound to stir things up for Damon in a way that nobody understands just yet. I hope you all liked the fluff, for things are about to get a bit darker again. Thanks for reading! Love, Mardre. **


	8. Chapter 8

Nothing…

That was how much Elena had heard from Damon in the past three weeks. Not a single word. She understood how he and his brother needed some time after the incredibly checkered past those two shared, but still… Damon pulling away like this was never a good sign. She was beginning to be able to read him somewhat now and this.. it did not bode well. She had tried calling him, texting him and what not, but to no avail. He was slipping back into his reclusive mode.

That night, when Stefan had shown up, she could see it in his eyes; with his brother's arrival came a feeling that he had obviously buried long ago. A feeling that she still needed to understand, because it was the whole reason why he backed out of love as if he wasn't worthy of it.

"_Hello, I don't think we've met. I'm Stefan," Damon's brother introduced himself. _

_Elena could feel a thousand different emotions coming from the elder brother and she felt a bit awkward standing between these two. _

"_Uhm, I'm Elena."_

"_Pleased to meet you. I'm so sorry to interrupt your plans."_

"_That's all right. I'll leave you two alone if you want. I'm sure you have lots to talk about."_

_Elena eyed Damon questioningly, wondering what was going through his mind right now. Stefan obviously wanted to move back into the boarding house and she was sure that wouldn't sit well with Damon. His entire posture was rigid and his jaw was set in a hard line. _

"_Damon?"_

_It was one simple word, but she hoped it conveyed everything she wanted to say in that moment. _

"_It's okay, Elena. Go home. Take my car with you. I'll come and pick it up in the morning."_

Elena had nodded and accepted the keys as he handed them over to her without so much as a glance in her direction. She had felt a bit hurt by it, but understood that he had been caught off guard in that moment.

After she left their house, the last thing she had expected was for Damon to pick up the car without talking to her. She had parked it in the street that night and when she woke up the next morning, it was gone. Apparently, Damon had a spare key or something.

Of course, the car keys now proved to be her way in. That's why she had been sitting in her car in front of the boarding house for the past half an hour, debating whether she should go in or not. Was it very imposing of her to just show up? Well, it would have been, had she done it less than 24 hours after Stefan's arrival. Since it was now three weeks ago, it wouldn't do any harm to casually drop the keys off.

Her heart was pounding as she exited the car. The familiar gravel path crunched beneath her feet, and she almost wanted to laugh with how she had been nervous every single time she had walked across it, only for different reasons.

She quickly knocked before she could change her mind and straightened her shoulders. Casual was the way to go. Of course, she hadn't expected Stefan to open the door. She had, in fact, half expected Damon to have kicked him out by now. Her eyebrows raised in surprise for a moment, before she regained her composure.

"Oh hi… Uhm… Elena, right?" Stefan asked with a frown.

"Yes, is Damon in? I still have his car keys and I wanted to return them."

"I'm afraid not. He went to the office some time ago."

Well, shit!

"On a Sunday?"

Stefan shook his head with a smile.

"Yeah, I know. He did say that he was only going to check in on something, so I don't think he'll be gone for a whole lot longer. You're welcome to come in and wait if you want?"

Elena bit her lip, wondering how Damon would feel about that. On the other hand, if she didn't, when would be the next opportunity to speak to him? He was obviously keeping himself on a down low right now.

"Yes, I would like that," she made up her mind and stepped inside.

"Can I offer you anything? Coffee, tea, soda?"

"Coffee would be fine, thank you."

Elena walked into the parlor and sat down in the exact same spot as she had when Damon had made his 'indecent proposal' some time ago. It made her wonder; things seemed to have changed significantly since then, but had they really? Damon still wasn't letting her in… not completely. The past three weeks proved that he was continually keeping her out of something that proved to be too difficult to talk about. Otherwise, he would have answered her texts by now.

"Here you go," Stefan interrupted her thoughts.

He handed her the coffee and sat down across from her.

"So, how long have you and Damon been dating?"

"Not long. We're still in the getting to know each other faze," Elena explained, repeating what she had told everyone around her in the past few weeks.

"Still," Stefan shrugged, "Damon wanting to get to know anybody is an improvement from what I've seen happening for years now."

Elena took a sip from her coffee and contemplated what to say. She didn't really know this man, only bits from what Damon had told her. For some reason, she felt like she needed to tread lightly.

"Damon is.. difficult to get through to, yes. He requires a bit of patience."

"That's putting it mildly. Damon can be very cold. He hardly lets anyone get close. I've seen a lot of people just give up where he's concerned. That's why my brother keeps everything casual with just about everyone in his life; he never gives people a chance to hurt him."

"I understand that. He told me bits and pieces and I see why he's careful."

She had said things politely, but she could see Stefan pale a bit. The wheels in his head were probably turning with how much she really knew about everything that had gone on between these walls. He coughed somewhat and drank from his coffee to settle himself down.

"How did you meet my brother?" Stefan continued after a few.

"I actually interviewed him; I work for the local newspaper and the anniversary of Mystic Falls was coming up. My boss wanted to do a segment on your family."

"And he agreed to that? Whoa, good for you! Damon usually never answers requests like that."

"So I've noticed," Elena answered with a smile, and she could feel the atmosphere becoming a bit less tense.

Stefan smiled as well.

"He must have done a serious background check on you before he even answered you."

"He did. The whole interview started with questions from him regarding me and my life. I was floored and wanted to know who was interviewing whom," Elena laughed.

"I can totally imagine that happening."

"Are you two having fun talking about me?" Damon's voice interrupted them.

Elena jumped up as her heart skipped several beats. She didn't know why, but she felt a bit… caught… like she wasn't supposed to have a few jokes with his brother; the brother who betrayed him.. with his wife.

"Damon," she breathed. "I came to return your car keys."

He nodded, his face not betraying anything.

"Thanks, just leave them on the table."

With those words, he wandered off towards the kitchen. Elena's mouth positively dropped open at that and she felt a hint of anger bubbling up inside of her. So much for keeping it casual. He wasn't even going to talk to her?! She glanced back at Stefan, who simply looked down and bit his lip. Then, she straightened her shoulders and followed the elder brother.

He was busy rummaging around through some cabinets, obviously trying to keep himself occupied. Elena sat herself down at the breakfast bar.

"Were you going to cook something?" she calmly asked.

"Nope, I'm just looking for something."

Elena raised her eyebrows at him.

"And that something is at the back of your cupboard?"

She could almost hear him growling from where she was sitting, but she wasn't backing down this time. She had just about enough of this behavior from him.

"I thought you were going home," he bit at her when he turned around to face her.

"And I thought that you were man enough to talk to me. You know, Damon, I'm all for you and your brother talking through some things. I also understand how that would keep you from getting in touch with me. What I won't understand or sit through is being treated like something that you're desperately trying to get rid of."

"I can't do this right now, Elena."

Elena shook her head.

"Then when _can_ we do this? Because you're obviously not about to pick up a phone. Yes, Stefan being here threw a big curveball. However, that doesn't have to change anything. You can talk to me, you know."

"There's nothing to talk about," Damon shrugged. "He's here. Ta daa."

"Yes, and I understand how you would feel shitty about that."

"Really? You understand that? Because from what I could see, you two were getting along just fine."

Elena felt like ripping out her hair in frustration with him.

"Yes, I had a laugh with your brother. That doesn't automatically make me 'team Stefan.' It's called being polite, Damon. I'm always on your side, no matter what. I hope you know that."

She watched as Damon poured himself a bourbon, pretending not to be invested in this conversation.

"Well, there you go, pretending not to care. It's what you always do; you think that you don't deserve something, so you ruin it. All right, I'll go."

She slipped from her barstool and stopped to look at him one last time.

"One of these days, you're going to have to take a chance with someone, Damon. Otherwise, you'll wind up with nothing but your business and I hope that that's not all you've wanted out of life."

When he didn't answer her, she knew that she had done all that she could do. He needed to work through this on his own.

* * *

She felt like she had lost him.

What the hell had she been thinking, anyway? Nobody changed a man, you couldn't enter a relationship with that intention. And you certainly didn't change Damon Salvatore.

Elena slumped down on the couch and put her head in her hands, feeling a few tears prick her eyes. Well, it was her own fault that she got hurt. Damon came with a raging warning sign attached to him and she had ignored it completely.

Her entire house lit up with a bolt of lightning, followed by a crack of thunder. The weather outside was taking a turn for the worse, as rain was pouring down. Elena shivered, thankful to be inside. Nobody had any business being out in the streets during all of that. It reminded her of a time when she had been outside during bad weather, when her car had broken down and Damon had come to her rescue. That had been the first time that he had kissed her.

She glanced at her phone to see if she might have a missed call or message. Still nothing. She hadn't contacted him again after their confrontation in his kitchen, but still… she had idle hope that he would somehow reach out to her; that he wouldn't let her go this easily.

Just as she was about to head for the kitchen to get herself a cup of tea, a knock on the door made her frown.

Well, someone out there didn't mind the weather. She peered out the window and saw Damon standing out on her porch, completely drenched. The sight of him made her heart jump a bit. So he wasn't going to let her go, then? She was almost scared to hope.

"Hey," she said, trying to stay poised and calm when she let him in.

"Hey." He took of his coat and ran his fingers through his dark, wet tresses. "There's quite a storm brewing out there."

"Yeah, I can see that."

Elena kept a blank face as she felt that he was trying to read her. She sure as heck wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"Look," he started. "I'm sorry for the way I handled things in the last three weeks. I could have done that differently, I see that now."

Elena crossed her arms in front of her.

"You chose to purposefully keep me out of your life. Why?"

"Because I'm bad for you, Elena. I still don't understand why you wouldn't have run away from me as far as possible."

"Is that what you were trying to achieve? To have me run for the hills?"

"Frankly, yes," Damon admitted truthfully. "That's the way I've been for so long now. I don't let anyone get too close and when they do, I treat them like crap."

Elena took a step closer towards him, but he held his hands up to fend her off.

"Why?" she asked.

Damon looked down, obviously struggling with the things he wanted to say.

"Because I don't want to see that look of disappointment that I'm used to. I've never been enough, Elena. Not for anyone, not even my own mother. When she left my father and wanted a divorce, I begged her to take me with her. She didn't."

Elena felt her heart break a little with the look on Damon's face; a look she had never seen before. He had always been so careful with showing any emotion.

"Maybe she would have come back for you later, after she had settled somewhere else. I mean, if she hadn't died," she tried consoling him.

"Yeah, that had always been my hope and when the call came about her death.. a few months after she had left.. my hope was gone. I was left to fend for myself. Giuseppe Salvatore was always such a well respected man in this town, Elena. Nobody would have believed the stuff that he pulled when he was in the safety of his own home. He played me and Stefan against each other and he never failed to remind me of how much better Stefan was than me. 'Why can't you be more like Stefan?' That's what he always said," Damon mimicked his father.

"That's a very harsh thing to do."

"Not even Stefan believed me when I told him. His relationship with our father was so different, almost loving. Me, he just wanted to kick to the curb. Quite literally. He even did so every now and then."

Elena's eyes widened with that information.

"He abused you?"

"Yes. You know, that is why I become so agitated where my brother is involved. My father favored Stefan over me and then my own wife…"

Elena stepped forward and put her hand on Damon's cheek, showing him nothing but love.

"I'm very sorry that that all happened to you. It's a lot to handle, I can only imagine. What I don't understand is why you think that you're such a terrible person. Why would anyone look at you I in disappointment?"

Damon froze at that and pushed her hand away.

"Damon.."

"Look, I've apologized. Can we leave it at that?"

"No, I want to be with you, so I'm not going to leave it at that. Don't let them win, Damon. You say that everyone always chooses Stefan? I'm not. I'm choosing you, okay?"

Elena watched him waver for a moment. She seemed to have him there, but then, she saw how the walls went back up.

"And I'm choosing to let you go."

It felt like a blow to the head when he said that. He wasn't going to do this, now was he?

"Damon," she tried.

"Let's keep this memory of us intact, okay?"

Elena began to panic and grabbed his hands, trying to urge him to let her in.

"Why don't you take a chance on me? Tell me and we'll deal with it together. I'm not perfect either, don't make me out to be the flawless one here. Please, Damon, don't do this!"

She watched the conflicting emotions dance in his eyes.

"I can't change who I am, Elena. I won't… but I refuse to change you."

Damon pulled his hands from her grasp and gave her a pained smile. That's when Elena snapped.

"You know what? Fine. I'm done. I'm so sick of this push and pull relationship! If you would just be honest with me, confide in me… Whatever it is you have done, Damon, I could keep an open mind towards it. I could talk to you about it and help you work through it. If you would do just that, then maybe we would have a chance. But if you do this, if you walk away right now, I will never forgive you."

"For what? For letting you go?"

"No!" Elena almost screamed. "For making me love you!"

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Silence hung heave in the room as both of them were equally shocked with her explosive confession. Elena felt like an idiot for dumping this on him right now! She had no idea how this would make him react. Had she ruined things? Would he reciprocate or would he run out the door and never look back…..?

**A/N: Yeah, that was a dark chapter. However, we needed to go there in order to get Damon to the point of where we really want him in the future; in Elena's arms. So we have a love confession from Elena. Will Damon confess some things about himself as well? We're almost down to his final secret about his past. I would love to read what you think that secret is! Thank you.. for reading.. for reviewing.. and for taking the time to check my little story out! Love, Mardre. **


	9. Chapter 9

It seemed as if an entire lifetime passed by before Damon so much as even moved. Elena had never felt more naked than she did in that moment, waiting for him to respond. The silence was deafening.

"You love me?" he finally croaked.

He seemed to ask it incredulously and it made Elena nervous. Would he mock her? She wasn't sure her heart would be able to handle that.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "God knows how much I didn't want to love you, but here we are."

She kept her eyes rooted to the floor, afraid to gauge his reaction. He was quiet as a mouse over there. Tears began to well in her eyes with the anticipation. However, if the immediate answer didn't come to him in the next five seconds, she wasn't sure what to do or where to go from here. It was plain stupid anyway… falling in love with a man who had clearly said to her that if she wanted love, she should look elsewhere.

The seconds ticked by and finally, Elena gave up hoping.

"Well, if you're not going to say anything, I guess I have my answer on how you feel about me. I only have myself to blame for that; you've already warned me that love isn't in the cards when it comes to you. I'm going to go get myself a drink in the kitchen. You can let yourself out."

As she wanted to turn around, Damon suddenly jumped into action. He leapt forward and grabbed her upper arm, stopping her from walking away from him.

"Don't. Just give me a moment to process all this."

Elena's shoulders sagged.

"Why is this so hard for you, Damon? Love seems to be a dirty word when it comes to you."

Damon pulled her against him and a part of her really wanted to snuggle her face into his chest for comfort. She knew better, though.

"It's just…" he started.

"Let go of me, Damon."

As Elena began to struggle against him, his grip only tightened on her. He wasn't letting her go. Then, he kissed her. It was passionately desperate as his tongue dominated hers in a battle that both of them had already lost. A small whimper escaped her throat when the realization hit her that she couldn't fight him. It had already been a done deal the first time she had laid eyes on him.

"Give me a chance to come to terms with everything. Give me time to become…"

When he fell silent, Elena frowned. "Become what?"

"Unbroken."

His voice broke on that one word; a word that told her everything she needed to know; he was scared shitless about giving in. That's why he had come over tonight to break things off. Opening his heart to anyone had only caused him pain, even with his own parents. The way he was looking at her now, with anguish radiating from his eyes, told her that he wanted to give her everything. He just didn't know how. He had been closed off for so many years, it was as if he didn't know where to find the key to his heart anymore.

In Elena's opinion, it was his secret that he needed to come to terms with, not loving someone and being in love in return. There was something that he hadn't forgiven himself for. In order for him to open up to her, he needed to learn to love himself first and foremost.

Finally, she drew a deep breath and stepped forward, reaching up to touch the side of his face.

"Are you asking me to wait for you?"

She said it with great carefulness, not sure where he wanted to take this. Damon took her hand from his face and moved it into the line of his vision, studying it.

"I can't ask that. That's why I came over tonight to let you go. You can't put your life on hold for me when I don't know myself what I can offer you. But I _want_ to ask it, I really do."

A blinding bolt of lightning interrupted them. Elena let out a little scream as all the power went out in her house at the same time a loud roar of thunder resounded. Everything was pitch black. Well, that was great timing! She clutched her chest, trying to get her heartrate to return to normal again.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked, once they got over their initial jump scare.

"Yeah. The lightening hit something. Is every house on the block dark?"

Elena saw Damon shuffle carefully towards the front window. He pushed back the curtains and glanced out.

"It looks that way. The lightening must have hit a power line. Do you have candles and matches in your house?"

"Yes, they're in the kitchen cabinet."

"All right, I'll be right back."

As Damon exited the room, Elena sat down on the couch. What a night this was turning out to be!

To her right, she saw her phone lighting up on the side table. It was Caroline, who had sent her a text.

_Holy hell! All of Mystic Falls is pitch black! I'm glad I have Klaus here with me. Are you all right? _

Elena smiled, touched that her friend had thought of her in that moment.

_I'm fine. Damon is fetching candles from the kitchen as we speak. _

_Wait.. what? Damon is with you? I thought he had made himself scarce for the past three weeks. Did he come to his senses? _Caroline texted.

_The lightning interrupted us._

_Oh, well I'm sure that as soon as the candles are up, the atmosphere is set. Have a fun evening!_

Okay, Caroline had certainly jumped to conclusions with that one! Elena didn't have time to set her straight, though. Damon was back and placing lit candles all around the living room. It made something flicker in her belly. Yeah, this certainly set an atmosphere.

"There. Now we can see something." Damon flopped down on the couch next to her and gave her a serious look. "So, what were you going to say before the power went out?" he started.

His entire posture seemed tense, a bit like hers had been after her love confession.

"I don't know, Damon. You are the most confusing, arrogant, closed off man I have ever come across."

Damon nodded, thinking that he had his answer right there.

"I understand. I'll be out of your hair then."

Just when he moved to stand up, Elena put her hand across his to stop him.

"I guess we'll both have to take a leap of faith. I have to trust that your heart is in this and you have to trust that your big secret, the reason why you're so closed off, isn't going to make me run for the hills. I know you're used to looks of disappointment, but you won't get it from me. I promise."

How eyes with the color of ice could look as if they were on fire, was beyond her, but Elena saw it when Damon gazed at her in that moment. He carefully sat back down, and Elena noticed how his lips had parted ever so slightly in what she could only describe as pure wonder. Her heart began to drum in her chest with the intensity of that whatever it was going on between them right then. Damon's mouth closed again, and he swallowed.

The candlelight flickered across his face and Elena thought that he had never looked as drop dead gorgeous as he did in that moment, with every emotion that coursed through him visual for her to see. There was a hint of nervousness, layered with lust and yes, love. She could see it now. Even if he wasn't able to say it yet, it was there.

She had never seen him so vulnerable before; he had usually been very forward and almost aggressive in his pursuit of her. When he slowly leaned in to kiss her, she wasn't about to stop him. His lips stirred hers ever so slightly, almost as if he was afraid to break her. Then, he stopped to check if she was okay with it. His eyes searched hers for permission, which she happily gave him.

There was no way that she could have expected that a soft and slow kiss like this could turn her on even more so than all of the passionate, aggressive kisses he had bestowed upon her. This kiss held so much hope and promise that she wanted to weep. In fact, she actually felt a tear sliding down her cheek when she thought about everything Damon had to endure in the past to be who he was right now and the hurtles he had to overcome to give into her like this.

"Are you okay?" he whispered when he tasted the salt of her tears.

"Yes, just kiss me."

It was all the reassurance he needed. His lips captured hers again and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. They fell back on the couch together as their hands roamed over each other's bodies. Elena took her time taking off his jacket and shirt, wanting to get to know the feel of him underneath the palms of her hands. His look was intense as her fingers stirred the skin of his chest, leaving goosebumps on his skin in her wake. God, he was perfect! How someone so emotionally scarred could have such a flawless body was beyond her.

She sat up, tearing off the camisole and t-shirt she was wearing. Then, she moved into his lap. As her bra fell away and she felt her nipples chafe against his skin, it was as if a tremor coursed through her entire body. His fingers danced across her naked back and she closed her eyes.

She couldn't believe how high strung she was when his mouth finally tasted her hardened peaks. He carefully suckled each tip, almost worshipping them.

"Damon.." His name came out as a needy whisper. Elena almost didn't recognize her own voice.

"I know," he answered her.

He wasn't done with her, though. He kissed her shoulder, her neck, her chest and everywhere else he could reach. His arms seemed to lock her in a vice-like grip; they never seemed intent to let her go again. Then, there was that look again; his blue eyes stared up at her from their seated position and it was something she had never felt before with anyone. It was as if he was telling her with his eyes that if she was willing to wait for him… to stand by him while he faced his demons, he was willing to give her everything.

She found his lips again and knew she was ready now. Her hands went to work on his belt, pulling it from his jeans. Then, he lifted his hips so she could take everything off. There was a moment of silence as Elena stared at his body. Here he was, naked on her couch. It had been inevitable that they would get to this point; it had already been in the air the first time they had met. Months of denial, confusion and holding back only made this moment more special. They weren't doing this on some whim, only to turn around and walk away from each other in the morning. This was it; the real deal.

Damon got her out of her remaining clothing and pulled her in front of him, his hands on her hips.

"What are you…?"

Before she could finish that sentence, his tongue was already teasing her folds. The tip was carefully tapping her clit and Elena had to clutch his shoulders for support.

"Oh," she breathed.

His mouth closed over the bud every now and then, the sucking motions shooting up and down every nerve ending in her body. She trembled with what she knew was coming very soon. It felt like red hot lava was running through her veins and she struggled tor remain standing. When she finally came, she crashed into his arms, breathing heavily. He pulled her underneath him, kissing baby kisses on her belly until her orgasm subsided.

"You give the best orgasms, do you know that?" she chuckled, stroking his hair as he laid his head on her chest.

"I could lie like this forever," he mumbled.

"Hey, I'm not complaining."

Damon lifted his head up to smile at her, before he kissed her again. Elena wrapped her arms and legs around him, urging him to continue. Then, his control wavered and he slipped himself inside of her.

They were very good together, she had to admit that. There was no way that she could have imagined it being like this. She stroked his back as her hips spurred him on. There was a massive surge of pleasure spreading through her every time he thrust into her.

There was a moment when he stopped and looked into her eyes. It was the most sexy thing in the world to her; to have him stare at her while their lower bodies were connected. Then, he began to move again, never taking his eyes off of her. It didn't take long for Elena to catapult over the edge again and she took him right with her this time. Afterwards, they moved towards her bedroom upstairs, holding each other underneath the covers...

Sometime later, in the middle of the night, Elena woke up to hear Damon mumbling restlessly behind her. She turned around to look at him and saw him frown in his sleep as his body fidgeted.

"Damon," she softly whispered. "It's okay."

She stroked the side of his face, trying to get him to calm down somewhat. He didn't though, and Elena sat up, not sure what to do. As she rolled over to get out of bed, his arm suddenly shot out, locking her in place. She peered over her shoulder, seeing that he was still asleep.

"Damon," she whispered again.

"Don't leave. Please." She could make out his jumbled words more clearly now.

"I wasn't leaving, Damon. I swear."

His body fidgeted some more, but his arm remained in place, not letting her move.

"Please don't leave me."

His voice sounded hitched and Elena's heart broke a little. He was obviously dreaming about the past. She gave up trying to get out of bed and moved into him, putting her arm around him.

"I'm here. I won't leave you."

She stroked his back until he calmed down, feeling herself become drowsy again. Just when her eyes fell shut, she could hear a whispered 'I didn't mean to kill him' come past his lips…

**A/N: Somehow, this chapter took a lot out of me. Damon wasn't easy to write this time, since his ghosts are coming back to haunt him. However, he was willing to open up to Elena a little. Hopefully, you liked this chapter. I'm not going to say anything about Damon's last sentence here; I'll let you figure that one out on your own. Hahaha! **


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